312 - Behavior Management Techniques for Pediatric Patients: Investigating the Role of a Visual Aid During a Routine Dental Hygiene Appointment

Behavior management of the pediatric dentistry can be one of the greatest challenges to the pediatric dentist. While exploring new techniques of communication, the use of  a visual aid creates an individualized plan while offering the opportunity for reward when desired goals are met. The goal of this research is to determine if the use of a visual aid, in the form of a penny board, may result in improved behavior in a dental setting. Participants were given five appointment tasks to complete, with opportunity to add a penny to represent the task's completion, and eventually a reward when all pennies were obtained. Statistically significantly higher Frankl scores and a greater number of completed tasks were found with the use of a Wilcoxon signed rank test. Overall, the penny board may serve as an effective tool in patient communication and cooperation during dental visits.