Assessing the Attitude of Parents Towards Various Behaviour Management Techniques Used during Paediatric Dental Treatment: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Every child who enters the dental clinic is different. Some of them are anxious, some are scared, some are angry, and some are confused. Rarely, children exhibit a positive behaviour, most of them being uncooperative. The child’s behaviour in turn influences the efficiency and outcome of the dental treatment. Aim: To assess parents or caregivers’ acceptance of various Behaviour Management Techniques (BMT) through direct observation and feedback received. materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was planned to assess the most preferred BMT. The study was conducted from November 1st, 2018 to October 31st, 2019 for a period of one year. Parents of children between the ages of four to nine years were included in the study using non random convenience sampling with 675 participants. Every parent was given an explanation about the study and briefed about nine major BMTs in regional language. Audiovisual aid for each technique in their own mother tongue was displayed via a projector and sound systems and parents were asked to watch it. Later they were given a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of 10 mm length with markings, printed on a sheet of paper to assess the preference for each technique. Collected data was entered in an excel sheet and analysis was done using median test. Results: The results showed that 32.4% i.e., the highest percentage of people opted for Tell Show Do (TSD), indicating that TSD is the best BMT. Professional status of parent showed a significant impact on BMT selection. Conclusion: This study reveals that amongst all the behaviour management methods, ‘Tell-Show-Do’ was the most accepted BMT by the parents and the professional background of the parent has a statistically significant role in the selection of BMT.