Parents perception about the behavioral management techniques used in Pediatric Dentistry

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate parents’ perceptions of the child behavioral management techniques used in pediatric dentistry before and after receiving explanations of the techniques. Materials and Methods: The study participants were parents of children receiving care at a pediatric dental clinic. The parents viewed a video involving the use of the following child behavior management techniques: tell-show-do, voice control, positive reinforcement, presence or absence of parents, model, hand-on-
the-mouth, passive restraint, active restraint, and sedation. The first time participants viewed the video, they were told the name of each technique, but did not receive any explanations about the techniques. As they watched the video, the parents provided responses on a questionnaire that asked the following question: What is the frequency of times that you would allow this technique to be applied during your child’s appointment? The response options were: “Always”, “Sometimes”, or “Never”. After receiving an explanation of the techniques, the parents viewed the fi lm a second time and completed another questionnaire containing the same items as the first. Results:Nonrestrictive techniques (tell-show-do and positive reinforcement) had high acceptance rates both before and after the explanations, while restrictive techniques (hand-on-the-mouth, passive and active restraint) had low rates of acceptance. After receiving an explanation of the techniques, the acceptance rates were unrelated to the gender, age, or education levels of the participants. Acceptance of the hand-on-the-mouth technique rose from 34.2% to 68.5% (p < 0.05) after receiving an explanation of the techniques. Conclusion: After receiving explanations of behavioral management techniques, parents are more likely to accept the use of certain techniques.