Comparative Evaluation of Behavior of the Child with the Parenting Styles and the Preference for Behavior Management Technique: An Observational Cross-sectional Study.

Background: The children who are uncooperative during dental treatment tend to develop fear as a manifestation of their own underlying fear, past bad experiences, or due to the influence of parents and their style of upbringing. There are three main parenting styles, as stated by Baumrind. These children, in the dental operatory, can be managed by nonpharmacological behavior management techniques. Aim and objective: To compare the child's behavior with the parenting styles and to evaluate the preference for behavior management techniques. Materials and methods: A total of 120 children, aged 4-8 years, along with their parents, were divided into three groups depending on the three parenting styles (40 in each group). Parenting style was assessed by the parenting style dimensions questionnaire. The child's attitude and behavior were assessed by the Frankl behavior rating scale and a self-administered questionnaire filled out by the pedodontist, while the facial image scale was used to assess the anxiety of the child. Results: Through the study, it was found that children of authoritative parents were effectively managed by the application of tell-show-do. In the case of authoritarian parents, 40% of children were managed by parent separation, while 32.5% of children were managed by voice control. For permissive parents, the maximum number of children, that is, 57.5%, could be managed by the distraction technique. Conclusion: It can be concluded that all five behavior management techniques, that is, tell-show-do, distraction, parental presence, parent separation, and voice control, were effective in managing children of different behavior patterns. How to cite this article: Gera D, Nigam AG, Marwah N,