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Desensitization and Therapeutic Behavioral Approaches to Dental Care

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Dental Care for Children with Special Needs

Abstract

Children with special healthcare needs are accustomed to receiving occupational and behavioral therapy outside the dental office. While not routine in dentistry, these approaches can be leveraged to help patients learn to accept oral healthcare. Behavior modification, or desensitization, centers on gradual exposure to triggering stimuli. Over time the child learns to tolerate aspects of dental care that were previously not possible. Successful behavior modification programs focus on careful patient selection through the use of pre-visit questionnaires and in-person interviews with the patient and family. The program is then individualized for each patient, taking into account individual strengths and limitations. It may also incorporate strategies such as peer modeling, individualized reinforcement, and distraction. Ultimately this offers the child an opportunity to experience dental care at her own pace, learning skills that can be used to maintain health over the course of a lifetime.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Travis M. Nelson

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  1. Travis M. Nelson
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Correspondence to Travis M. Nelson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Travis M. Nelson

  2. Children’s Village, Yakima, WA, USA

    Jessica R. Webb

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Nelson, T.M. (2019). Desensitization and Therapeutic Behavioral Approaches to Dental Care. In: Nelson, T., Webb, J. (eds) Dental Care for Children with Special Needs. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10483-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10483-2_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-10482-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-10483-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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