Srinivas Naik, Sahana: NON - PHARMACOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT

Children are not small adults, thus the understanding of child development is crucial. Assessment of children based on their behavior is one of the most important skills to be developed by a Pediatric Dentist. Hence, behavior management comes into play. Since children exhibit a broad range of physical, intellectual, emotional and social development and a diversity of attitudes, the approach and language used with each child can then be modified to match their abilities and understanding.The objective of behavioral dentistry is to develop in a dental practitioner an understanding of the interpersonal social force that influences a patient¿s behavior. The foundation of practicing dentistry on children is the ability to guide them through their dental experience.One major aspect of child management in the dental chair is managing dental anxiety, a worldwide problem and universal barrier to oral health care. The dentist treating a child patient always assesses one aspect of behavior- cooperativeness. Cooperative behavior is the key to render treatment.