Using parents to maintain improved dental flossing skills in children.
An experimenter-administered intervention involving prompts, self-monitoring, permanent product collection, rewards for plaque reduction, and corrective feedback was used to improve the flossing skills of four 7- to 11-year-old children. Parents were subsequently trained in the reward and feedback procedures to facilitate maintenance. In a multiple baseline across subjects design, all four subjects showed improvement in plaque between teeth during experimenter-administered intervention. Three subjects maintained low plaque levels during the 3- to 4-month parent-administered rewards and feedback follow-up condition. Improved plaque levels on nontargeted tooth surfaces also were observed. Pediatric dentistry applications are discussed.
D002648:Child; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*