Ethnic and language influence on parents' perception of paediatric behaviour management techniques.

BACKGROUND: Parental preference for various behaviour management techniques (BMTs) used in paediatric dentistry has been shown to be influenced by many factors, including ethnicity. AIM: To measure parental acceptability of BMTs used in paediatric dentistry and how it is influenced by ethnicity and language. DESIGN: Parents of patients presenting to a paediatric dentistry residency clinic in Houston, Texas, USA or Medellín, Colombia watched ten video BMT vignettes and rated their acceptance on a visual analog scale (VAS). Participants were categorized into six groups based on language, ethnicity, and country of residence. RESULTS: Parental acceptance of BMTs was affected by language, ethnicity, and country of residence (P = 2.2 × 10-16 ). Ethnic groups in the USA had a mean overall acceptance rate of all BMTs. Colombians rated all BMTs less acceptable than the US cohorts (P < 0.05), with the exception of voice control, which Colombians rate less acceptable than English-speaking Caucasians and Spanish-speaking Hispanics in the USA (P < 0.05). The Colombian population were not accepting of conscious sedation, nitrous oxide, general anaesthesia, and protective stabilization. CONCLUSIONS: Parents from different ethnic groups express different preferences in BMTs. Parents continue to prefer noninvasive techniques over pharmacologic and advanced techniques, with the exception of voice control.

Influence of Ethnicity on Parental Preference for Pediatric Dental Behavioral Management Techniques.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine how ethnicity influences parental acceptability of behavior management techniques (BMTs) used during dental treatment of children. This is the first known study to compare ethnic differences in acceptance levels of the BMTs. Methods: Parental acceptance of 10 BMTs (tell-show-do, voice control, non-verbal communication, positive reinforcement, distraction, parental presence/absence, nitrous oxide, protective stabilization, sedation, and general anesthesia) was rated using a visual analogue scale (VAS) after watching vignettes of each technique. Parental preferences were stratified by ethnicity and analyzed. Results: Among the 104 parents (21 Caucasians, 29 Hispanics, 30 Asians, and 24 African Americans) who qualified and completed the study, we observed that, overall, non-invasive techniques (positive reinforcement and tell-show-do) were most accepted by parents, while invasive techniques (voice control and protective stabilization) were least accepted (P<0.001). Within each ethnicity, there were significant differences between the BMTs (P<0.001). Additionally, conscious sedation was the only BMT to show a significant difference between the ethnic groups (P=0.047), with Asian parents having a lower mean score than Caucasian and Hispanic parents. Conclusions: Our results suggest that considering the ethnic/cultural differences of patients and their parents is an instrumental component for pediatric dentists to provide quality care to children patients.

Personality Types: Predictors for Pediatric Dentists-Pilot Study.

Personality Types of Pediatric Dentistry Residents and Residency Applicants PURPOSE: Dentists may possess unique personality traits that distinguish them from the general population. Within the profession, there may be personality traits that are more prevalent in one specialty than another. This project was designed to determine if personality profiling could be a predictor for success in a specialty field, i.e. pediatric dentistry. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was developed to make the theory of psychological types, described by Carl Jung, understandable and useful to people's everyday lives. Jung's theory is that much of what seems like random human behavior is due to basic differences in the . way people use their perception and judgment. The purpose of this study was to determine if interviewees to a pediatric dentistry residency program possessed similar personality traits to pediatric dentistry faculty/residents by comparing the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) results of the 2 groups. METHODS: Thirty-one pediatric dentistry faculty/residents were.compared with 46 pediatric dentistry residency interviewees. Each member of both groups anonymously completed the MBTI profile. RESULTS: This study indicates that there are no significant differences in MBTI personality types between pediatric dentistry faculty/residents versus interviewees to a pediatric dentistry residency (p=0.168), except that interviewees were more likely to exhibit the ESFJ type than were faculty/ residents (p=0.015). ESFJ represents E, extrovert, S, sensing, F, feeling and J, judging. All comparisons were conducted with the asymptotic chi-square test, except when expected cell counts were <5. For the latter comparisons, the Fisher's exact version of the chi-square test was used, p< .05 CONCLUSION: It is concluded that no common personality type, as determined by the MBTI, exists between pediatric dentistry faculty/residents and interviewees for residency, and that personality characteristics cannot be used as predictive factors in selection of pediatric dentistry residents.

Helping Dental Students Make Informed Decisions About Private Practice Employment Options in a Changing Landscape.

According to the 2014 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Survey of Dental School Seniors, 45.3% of new graduates planned to enter private practice immediately after graduation; of those, while 65% planned to become an associate dentist in a private practice, 28.3% intended to enter a corporate group practice-the only category that saw an increase over the previous year. Current trends indicate that the number of new graduates choosing to enter some form of private practice without further education will continue to remain high, due in large part to the need to repay educational debt. In light of these trends, the question that must be asked is whether dental schools are optimally preparing students to make informed decisions regarding future employment options in the changing dental practice landscape. This article argues that dental schools should review their curricula to ensure graduates are being prepared for this changing environment and the increased business pressures associated with dental practice. Important considerations in preparing dental students to be successful in the process of selecting a practice model are identified.