Knowledge and Awareness of Various Physical Restraints and Protective Stabilisation Methods: Parent’s Perception towards their Use in Children: A Multimedia Pre- and Post-test Quasi-experimental Study

Abstract

Introduction: Physical restraints are often a debatable and misunderstood aspect of dental healthcare practice. They are frequently used in dental care settings to immobilise children and reduce the risk of injury during procedures. It is essential to assess parents' knowledge, awareness, and attitudes towards physical restraints and provide accurate information about them. This is important to ensure that they are used appropriately and ethically. Aim: To assess parents’ knowledge, awareness, and attitudes towards physical restraints in dental care settings before and after a multimedia intervention, and to provide precise information about the same. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at the Department of Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Rajarajeswari Dental College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India using a pretest and post-test quasi-experimental study design on 400 parents whose children were between 3 and 16 years of age. The survey was conducted between December 2022 and March 2023. The data collection methods used in the present study consisted of a pre-education questionnaire and a post-education questionnaire administered after a multimedia educational intervention. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis, including measures such as mean, Standard Deviation (SD), Chi-square goodness of fit test, Wilcoxon's signed-rank test, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: When questioned about various stabilisation methods like direct and indirect methods, 379 (94.8%) of the study parents were unaware of them. However, after education, the majority of parents, 393 (98.3%), became aware that there were two types of stabilisation methods. Initially, 294 (73.5%) of parents refused to provide permission for doctors to treat their children using various stabilisation techniques. However, after being thoroughly educated about the various methods and their benefits, 383 (95.8%) agreed to let the dentist employ different stabilisation techniques when treating their children. This assurance helped alleviate concerns about potential harm to the child caused by using these stabilisation methods. Conclusion: The study suggests that there is a significant knowledge gap among parents. However, the implementation of multimedia educational intervention methods during dental visits by dentists played a crucial role in increasing their knowledge and resulted in a significant improvement in their attitude towards stabilisation methods.