The child’s dental treatment: maternal perception

Objectives: To verify the maternal perception of and behavior towards children’s dental treatment, as well as to analyze the opinion of the mothers on the need of their presence in the clinical attendance room and acceptance with regard to the techniques of behavioral management.Methods: The study involved interviews with 100 mothers whose children between 3 and 12 years old, had been in the Family Health Program of Vila Lacasa, in the city of Cachoeirinha, Pernambuco, Brazil, in the period from November to December of 2006. Data were collected from forms validated by the face-to-face method, and a descriptive analysis of the data was performed. The mothers were divided into groups considering the number of years of schooling and social-economic level. Results: It was verified that a significant number of the mothers were not afraid of dental treatment (68%), exerting a strong influence on the children’s opinion and behavior.The main causes of fear in the mothers was pain (45.8%). Irrespective of the educational level, the majority of the mothers preferred to be present in the attendance room (85%), since they believed their presence improved the child’s behavior (64%). The main reason why the mother sought dental treatment for her child was the prevention of caries (51%), followed by pain (29%). Conclusion: The interviewed mothers were shown to have a strong influence on the behaviour of the children and irrespective of their educational level most mothers preferred to be present in the attendance room,accepting the management techniques, provided that they were adequately informed.