Northwest PRECEDENT Survey: Rates of Dentists Providing Pediatric/Behavior Management Procedures

Objectives:  Identify dentists’ current practice for treating pediatric patients with mild-moderate special needs, rates of utilizing behavior management approaches and desirability for additional training in the Northwest PRECEDENT practice-based research network, a platform for conducting research of dentists in practice.  Survey results can be used to improve dental education/ training regarding children with special needs.

 Methods: Data were collected via a web-based survey of Northwest PRECEDENT members during 2010.

Results:  

286 (80%) dentists responded to the survey, 271 (95%) of the dentists reported treating children.  Children comprised, on average, 40% of the patients seen in the dental practices: ages < 1 year=2%, pre-school=9% and school-age=28%.   

Dentists reported conducting some pediatric procedures more than others, e.g. fluoride application (89%), diet counseling (87%) sealants (76%), preventive resins (65%) and infant examinations (62%).  Dentists reported rates for using behavioral management techniques, e.g. “tell-show-do” (97%), voice control (87%) and allowing parents/caregiver in operatory with child (92%).  Additionally, 38-41% of dentists reported they desired training in these behavioral management approaches.  Rates at which dentists reported barriers in their willingness to see patients were related to patients’: behavior (80%), emotional/mental disability (67%), medical disability (52%), physical disability (36%) and level of dental disease (43%).  Dentists reported high rates for desirability of additional training, and non-AEGD/GPR trained dentists > AEGD/GPR trained:  medical management 86% (93% vs 83%, p=.02), complex oral manifestations 86%, (90 vs 87, ns), best treatment-fit for patient condition 82% (91% vs 78%, p=.005); and staff training in patients with special needs 83% (89% vs 81%, p=.04) and pediatric  procedures 71% (83 vs 67%, p=.003).

Conclusions: Dentists reported providing certain pediatric procedures more than others, a high rate of using certain behavioral management techniques, and a desirability for more training in numerous applicable techniques, and barriers to providing treatment.  Submitted on behalf of Northwest PRECEDENT.