Parental Acceptance of Behavior Management Techniques for Pediatric Dental Visits in Qassim, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

Behaviour management techniques have been commonly used to promote a child’s positive behaviour during oral health treatment. Parents play an important role in their child’s dental care and its delivery.

This study aimed to determine the most accepted behaviour management techniques used in paediatric dental clinics and assess the parents’ acceptance level for each technique using a visual analogue scale.

This cross-sectional study based in Qassim, Saudi Arabia, used videotaped scenes of seven behaviour management techniques recorded in Arabic. After watching the videos, parents filled out a questionnaire on acceptance of each technique and rated their acceptance of it by using a visual analogue scale.

The study consisted of 130 parents, of which 86 (66.2%) were males and 44 (33.8%) were females. 96.9% of parents approved positive reinforcement, which was followed by tell-show-do (TSD) with 93.1% acceptance. General anesthesia (47.7%) was the least accepted behavioral management technique.

It is crucial for parents to systematically understand the procedures to be used in a pediatric dental setting. Dentist-parent communication is necessary to address any concerns, thereby creating a safe environment to deliver quality oral care.