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. 2024 Nov 25;24(1):764.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-024-05234-8.

Parent's acceptance of advanced behavior management techniques on children during dental treatment

Claudia Salerno  1   2   3 , Silvia Cirio  4 , Cinzia Maspero  5 , Margerita Roner  4 , Valeria D'Avola  4 , Maria Grazia Cagetti  4
Affiliations

Parent's acceptance of advanced behavior management techniques on children during dental treatment

Claudia Salerno et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Aim: This study explores the acceptance of Advanced Behavior Management Techniques (ABMTs) by parents during their children's dental treatments, comparing the opinion of parents of neurotypical children with that of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted involving 440 parents, divided into two groups: 236 parents of neurotypical children and 204 parents of children with ASDs, recruited from pediatricians' centers and centers for ASDs children in Northern and Southern Italy. A survey assessed their familiarity and acceptance of ABMTs, including protective stabilization, conscious sedation, and deep sedation/general anesthesia. Discrete variables were expressed as absolute and relative frequencies (%) and compared with Pearson's chi-squared or Fisher's exact test. Continue variables were expressed as mean ± SD and compared with the one-way ANOVA test. Heatmap and PCA analysis were used to determine possible correlations between items.

Results: Parents of children with ASDs showed a higher acceptance rate of ABMTs compared to parents of neurotypical children. Overall, only 30.68% of parents knew ABMTs before the survey. Differences between the two groups of parents in acceptance of Active Stabilization in emergency settings, Passive Stabilization in routine settings, and Deep sedation/general anesthesia in both settings were observed (p < 0.01). Only 6.82% of parents ever used at least one ABMT on their children. Heatmap analysis revealed that parents who have accepted one of the ABMTs tend to accept the others as well.

Conclusion: Differences in parental acceptance of different ABMTs was noted among the two groups of parents, with greater acceptance of ABMTs observed in the group of parents of children with ASDs. Parents of both groups have significant gaps in their knowledge of ABMTs. Therefore, increased awareness and personalized communication strategies are needed to increase acceptance of the studied techniques and, thus, facilitate access to dental care for uncooperative pediatric patients. Patient-centered behavior management strategies that meet children's needs and parents' preferences can contribute to the achievement of good oral health.

Keywords: Advanced behavior management techniques; Autism spectrum disorder; Dental treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Milan (University of Milan, Milan, Italy, N° N. 0024829 on 01/06/2021). All performed procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. All participants (parents) gave their consent to participate in the survey. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Principal component analysis in the two groups. Legend: BMT= Behavioral Management Technique; Edu=educational level; Orig=birthplace; Know=BMT knowledge; Exp= BMT experience; APS_R=Active Protective Stabilization during Routine dental care; APS_E=Active Protective Stabilization during Emergency dental care; PPS_R=Passive Protective Stabilization during Routine dental care; PPS_E=Passive Protective Stabilization during Emergency dental care; CS_R=Conscious Sedation during Routine dental care; CS_P=Passive Conscious Sedation during Emergency dental care; GA_R= Deep sedation/General Anesthesia during Routine dental care; GA_E= Deep sedation/General Anesthesia during Emergency dental care
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Correlation matrix. Legend: The colored squares show the correlation coefficient between two variables, with deeper color representing a stronger correlation. Blue shades denote positive correlations, while brown shades show negative correlations. Parents who have accepted one of the ABMTs tend to accept the others as well. BMT= Behavioral Management Technique; ASD= Autism Spectrum Disorder; C_age= children’s age; Mo_Fa= parent’s sex; Orig= birth place; Edu= educational level; Know= BMT knowledge; Dent=children cared by a dentist; Collab= childrens’ collaboration degree; APS_R= Active Protective Stabilization during Routine dental care; APS_E= Active Protective Stabilization during Emergency dental care; PPS_R= Passive Protective Stabilization during Routine dental care; PPS_E= Passive Protective Stabilization during Emergency dental care; CS_R= Conscious Sedation during Routine dental care; CS_P= Passive Conscious Sedation during Emergency dental care; GA_R= Deep sedation/ General Anesthesia during Routine dental care; GA_E= Deep sedation/ General Anesthesia during Emergency dental care; Exp= BMT experience; *= p<0.01
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