A brief discussion on the doctor-patient relationship in children's dentistry

This is the 5172th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

I believe that many parents have the experience of taking their children to see the dentist. If the child cooperates, the treatment is completed smoothly, and everyone is happy. Of course, there are also children who do not cooperate, and parents are anxious, impatient, and helpless. This involves the doctor-patient relationship of children's dentistry. The doctor-patient relationship of children's dentistry is a "triangle" relationship between the patient, the guardian, and the medical staff, which influences and interacts with each other.

Some parents will be silent supporters during their children's oral treatment and stand on the same front with the doctor. That is, they will support their children appropriately, make them feel protected and safe by their parents, and let them bravely cooperate with the doctor to complete the corresponding treatment. However, some parents will have a counterproductive effect in helping children accept and cooperate with pain treatment. They will guide their children as the "leader" during the doctor's operation, hoping that their children will obey and cooperate with the doctor. For example, they will say that we will be over after counting to 5, it will be fine soon, it doesn't hurt to see a dentist, you have to be brave, etc. The child's attention is invisibly distracted by the parents and the doctor, and they don't know who to listen to, which will interfere with the interaction between the doctor and the child and increase the possibility of non-cooperation. Some parents also said that their mothers will buy them toys after seeing the dentist, and they will buy 2, 3, or even 100 toys, but the children don't believe it. This will also give children a feeling that seeing a dentist is difficult and uncomfortable, so parents will reward me after seeing the dentist. Children have such a preconceived concept, and it will be difficult for them to cooperate with the treatment next. It is better to leave the reward to the doctor, or mention the reward after the treatment. You can talk about topics that are not related to the treatment content, such as diverting the child's attention to pleasant things, toys, cartoons that the child is familiar with or likes, food, etc. Or prompt the child to use coping strategies: take a deep breath, hold your mother's hand, squeeze my hand hard, etc.

Medical staff should listen actively and respond appropriately. Use appropriate language and emotional communication to promptly detect and eliminate the fear, anxiety and tension of children, build children's adaptability to the oral treatment environment, improve children's tolerance to pain during diagnosis and treatment, gain the trust and cooperation of children and parents, and ensure the smooth progress of treatment. At the same time, let children understand the importance of maintaining oral health and changing bad habits, as well as specific methods of oral health care.

It is not a single party that determines the treatment outcome of a child. Parents/caregivers, dentists, the dental team and the dental environment form a triangular relationship that influences and interacts with each other and jointly promotes children's oral health.

Author: Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University

Jia Shujuan, deputy chief physician of the Department of Stomatology