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

Friday, March 23, 2012: 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Presentation Type: Oral Session
K. HUGGINS1, J. BERG2, E. TRUELOVE1, J. HUANG3, M. BETTENDORF4, J. BOSEMAN4, P. HAGERTY4, and J. JONES4, 1School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2Pediatric Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 3Axio Research, Seattle, WA, 4NW PRECEDENT, Seattle, WA
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.

This abstract is based on research that was funded entirely or partially by an outside source: NIDCR DE016750/DE016752

Keywords: Behavioral Management, Children, Education research and Pedodontics