Parental acceptance of behavior management techniques for children with clefts.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present study was to assess the acceptance of 4 techniques employed for child behavior management during dental treatment.


METHODS
Four hundred caretakers of 4- to 10-year-old children with cleft lip and/or palate presented for dental treatment at the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of São Paulo, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil. They were interviewed after explanation and presentation of photographs illustrating the sequence of the following techniques: tellshow-do; voice control; physical restraint; and hand-over-mouth.


RESULTS
The levels of acceptance of the techniques were 98%, 96%, 81%, and 85%, respectively. A large acceptance was observed for all techniques investigated. The caretakers' fear that the techniques might make the child afraid of the dentist was commonly mentioned as nonacceptance for all techniques.


CONCLUSIONS
It was concluded that it is important for pediatric dentistry professionals to inform parents about each technique's objectives before application to avoid possible misunderstandings and to foster a trusting relationship between the child, the parents, and the dentist.
Ramos
Marcelo Montanha
MM
Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of São Paulo, Bauru, Brazil.
Carrara
Cleide Felício de Carvalho
CF
Gomide
Marcia Ribeiro
MR
D001290:Attitude; D032763:Behavior Control / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip; D002972:Cleft Palate; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D006801:Humans; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D014705:Verbal Behavior