Assessment of the Relationship between Crying Patterns, Dental Anxiety, and Behavior Guidance Techniques: A Behavioral Interventional Study.

Background: The cry is considered the basic reflex action the child tries to communicate. Applying behavior guidance techniques (BGT) suitably allows the dentist to lessen fear and anxiety. Aim: The study aims to correlate the crying patterns with behavior and dental anxiety, and select appropriate nonpharmacological BGT for a specific type of cry. Settings and design: The present study is designed to be a single-arm, behavioral interventional study. Materials and methods: A total of 50 children aged 5-11 years were included, out of which crying was observed in 39 children. The cry was video-recorded during different treatment procedures commonly employed in pediatric dentistry and evaluated by two examiners to determine its type. Furthermore, the BGT was applied in a specific order, starting from tell, show, do (TSD) to physical restraints until the child displays a positive behavior; then, the appropriate technique was noted. Dental anxiety was noted preoperatively, during the treatment, and postoperatively. The data was subjected to statistical analysis. Results: Among different types of cry, the frightened cry (FC) was the most common, followed by the compensatory (CC), obstinate (OC), pain (PC), and manipulative cry (MC). TSD was more effective in children, and the least was HOME (hand-over-mouth exercise). The association between the crying patterns, dental anxiety, behavior, and BGT is statistically significant ( Conclusion: Based on the cry, precise BGT can be chosen for a particular treatment procedure. Hence, cry can be considered a potential communication tool in pediatric dentistry. Clinical significance: Cry can be an effective means of communication in pediatric dentistry. Clinically, the study helps to choose a particular behavior guidance to alleviate dental fear and anxiety. How to cite this article: Tharay N, Gurunathan D, Nirmala SVSG,