Parental attitudes toward behavior management techniques used in pediatric dentistry

Previous studies evaluating parents' attitudes toward behavior management techniques used in pediatric dentistry suggest that parental attitudes are generally negative. The purpose of this study was to reexamine this issue by comparing the effect of prior explanation on parental acceptance of eight behavior management techniques. Videotaped segments were made of children's dental appointments containing examples of eight behavior management techniques. One group of 40 parents viewed a videotape which provided no explanation for each technique before it was shown. Another group of 40 parents viewed a videotape which provided no explanation of the techniques. The parents then were asked to rate the acceptability of each technique using a visual analogue scale. Results indicated that the informed parents were significantly more accepting of behavior management techniques than the uninformed parents but both groups were generally positive about the techniques studied. Further, parents reporting greater stress were less accepting of the techniques studied.