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ISSN (Print) 1013-9052
EISSN 1658-3558
The Saudi Dental Journal,
P.O. Box 52500,
Riyadh 11563,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
P.O. Box 52500,
Riyadh 11563,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| Tel. |
966-1-467-7328 |
| Fax. |
933-1-467-7308 / 966-1-467-7534 |
| Email |
saudidj@ksu.edu.sa |
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The use of behavior management techniques by dentists in Saudi Arabia: A Survey
Manal S. Abushal,* BDS, Msc
The objective of this study was to determine the behavior management techniques (BMT) used among dentists in Saudi Arabia for child dental patients according to type of practice, and the age group of the children receiving treatment. Three hundred copies of questionnaires accompanied by a covering letter were sent to two dental schools, hospitals, primary care centers and private clinics in the different provinces of Saudi Arabia. Nearly 250 questionnaires were returned with 232 suitable for tabulation. The information obtained from the respondents included their age, type of practice, institution, province, age of the children with the most disrupted behavior and the behavior management techniques utilized In the everyday treatment of their pediatric patients. Results showed that the responding pediatric dentist (PD) utilized a wider variety of management techniques than the general dental practitioner (GD). The most frequently used techniques were: tell, show & do, positive reinforcement and voice control, while the three least used were intravenous sedation, non-verbal communication and extra-oral physical restraint. There were significant differences between the GD and the PD in the use of sedation, physical restraint, modeling and non-verbal communication {x1 test, p < 0.05) but surprisingly, not in general anesthesia (x; test, p = 0.2348). These behavior management techniques were used predominantly on the 3-5 year old children.
It was concluded that the techniques of tell, show* do, positive reinforcement and voice control were highly utilized by both the GD and PD while the more specialized BMT were more often used by the PD.
Saudi Dental Journal 2000;12(3):129-134.
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