Behavior management techniques adopted by pediatric dentists in Egypt: A cross - sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: The concept of behavior management techniques (BMT) was developed from the concept of dealing with children and building with them a relationship that is based on satisfying child's oral health needs. Aim of study: Identify the degree of employment of: Positive pre-visit imagery, Ask-tell-ask and Memory restructuring by pediatric dentists in Egypt. Methods: Ninety two (92) questionnaires were delivered to pediatric dentists of three governmental universities. They were designed to record participants demographic and practice information, their current use of behavior management techniques, the most used behavior management techniques for each patient age. Results: Questionnaires were returned by 72 pediatric dentists (27.8% were males and 72.2% were females). Positive pre-visit imagery was used by 62.5% of participants, Ask-tell-ask (81.9%) and Memory restructuring (80.6%). Ninety seven percent of pediatric dentists considered that audio-visual distraction is effective aid in anxiety management. Conclusion: Various BMT are selected for different patient's age groups. Audiovisual distraction technique is a very effective technique for pediatric patients especially for three to five years old children.