behavior management C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 4 8 , Nº 5/6
Clinical Behavior Guidance for Children in Dentistry Brent P. Lin, DMD, and Michael I. Lin, MD
a b s t r a c t Behavior management is an integral component of pediatric care.
It is the ability to guide children through their dental experience to meet their immediate dental needs, to plant seeds for future dental needs and to promote positive dental attitudes. A positive first dental experience paves the way for good oral health practice and success in future dental visits. It is therefore critical to understand children’s behavior and fundamentals for success in clinical pediatric dental care by all providers, including general and family dentists.
AUTHORS Brent P. Lin, DMD, is a clinical professor in the division of pediatric dentistry at the University of California, San Francisco. He obtained his dental degree from Temple University in 1992 and completed his pediatric dentistry residency program at St. Barnabas Hospital. In addition, he did a general practice residency program at Yale-New Haven Hospital and a geriatric fellowship program at the University of Michigan. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
Michael I. Lin, MD, is the assistant chief of psychiatry at the Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1995 and completed his psychiatry residency program at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, where he served as the chief resident in the department of psychiatry and vice president of the House Staff Association. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
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ehavior guidance is an integral component of pediatric dental care. It is the ability to guide children through their dental experience to meet their immediate dental needs, to plant seeds for future dental needs and to promote positive dental attitudes. Children of different age groups exhibit general behavior and reaction toward dental procedures corresponding to their developmental stages. In the maturational theory of child development, Gesell described personality characteristics and behavior norms related to specific ages that unfold in a predictable and sequential pattern during growth and development.1,2 A 3-year-old child typically has a more developed imagination than a 2-year-old toddler. All children undergo the same stages and sequences of development, but each child accomplishes these developmental milestones at their own pace.1–3 Hence, a child’s developmental age might not coincide with chronological age. Assessing a child’s development is critical in predicting the ability of a child to cope with dental procedures,
and it is imperative to understand that human development is not unitary. The relationship between a provider and a child patient is not linear, and parental factors play a critical role in the care of a child (FI G URE 1 ). Wright and Alpern cited variables and environmental factors that could affect children’s behavior in the dental setting, such as the impact of parental or community influence.4 Previous health care visits could also potentially instill or alleviate fear and anxiety in a dental visit. A child’s visit to the dental office may be the first exposure to oral health, and dental care providers have the opportunity to influence and shape the child’s oral health well-being and dental experience for a lifetime. A positive first dental experience paves the way for good oral health practice and success in future dental visits. It is therefore critical to understand children’s behavior and fundamentals in management for success in clinical pediatric dental care by all providers, including general and family dentists. M AY/JUNE 2 0 2 0 271
