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.