Abstract
We evaluated the effectiveness of a dentist-implemented behavioral intervention in which brief escape from dental treatment was provided on a regular basis, independent of the child's behavior. Within a multiple baseline design across subjects, 5 children, ages 4 to 7 years, were provided with temporary escape from dental treatment on a fixed-time schedule. The intervals were signaled by an electronic timer worn by the dentist. Clinically significant reductions were observed in physically disruptive behavior across all 5 children with the introduction of noncontingent escape, and verbally disruptive behavior was markedly reduced in 4 of the 5 children. In addition, the dental staff's use of physical restraint was reduced to near zero across all 5 children. The research extends the literature in both clinical dentistry and in applied behavior analysis by demonstrating that a dentist can easily and effectively implement noncontingent reinforcement to produce clinically significant and socially important changes in children's health behavior.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 161-171 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of applied behavior analysis |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2006 |
Keywords
- Dental visits
- Disruptive behavior
- Escape
- Noncontingent reinforcement
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Philosophy
- Sociology and Political Science
- Applied Psychology