Study Related To Dental Anxiety In Disabled Children

In 2003 the European Journal of Dental Education did a focus study with dental students.
It's aim was to determine which method of behavioral management was most acceptable to the future dentists.

The results were analyzed using ANOVA models. There were significant main effects of intervention method and treatment outcome, indicating that less restrictive methods and good intervention outcome were rated as more acceptable.

Significant two- and three-way interactions were found, which suggested that the use of restrictive methods may be perceived as more acceptable for a child with learning disabilities even when the outcome was poor.

Sad, but true that it appears it is much more acceptable to restrain, restrict, tie down, strap, use papoose boards, or pediwraps in disabled children.

I would like to see a study on how acceptable it is to the same to completely healthy children and a follow up on what effects such trauma had on the child later in life.

This study highlights the importance of empirically (seeing is believing) evaluating outcome and treatment restrictiveness when engaging in behavior management during dental procedures.

Cited:
J. Timothy Newton, Peter Sturmey (2003)
Students' perceptions of the acceptability of behaviour management techniques
European Journal of Dental Education 7 (3), 97–102.
doi:10.1034/j.1600-0579.2003.00277.x

In another study in the UK revealed that female dentist was MUCH more reluctant to use restraining devices on children that their male counterparts.

Of course female adults are much less likely to abuse, beat, and otherwise display aggression to children as well. Our jails do prove that.