Behaviour guidance is an essential component of paediatric dental care and aims to establish effective communication, build trust, and promote positive dental experiences for children and their caregivers.
Appropriate behaviour guidance techniques allow dental professionals to deliver safe and effective treatment while supporting the child’s emotional development and long-term oral health.
Core principles include:
Behaviour guidance should always prioritise the child’s well-being while enabling effective delivery of dental care.
Effective communication between the dental team, the child, and caregivers is fundamental to successful behaviour guidance in paediatric dental care.
Non-pharmacological behaviour guidance techniques such as tell-show-do, positive reinforcement, and distraction should be considered as first-line approaches when managing children during dental treatment.
The child’s developmental level, temperament, previous experiences, and medical history should be considered when selecting behaviour guidance techniques.
(Evidence-based recommendations are not subject to global agreement scoring.)
(Evaluated for Global Agreement in 2022)
Behaviour guidance strategies should be individualised for each child based on age, cognitive development, and treatment needs.
Parents or caregivers should be involved in the decision-making process regarding behaviour guidance approaches.
Advanced behaviour guidance techniques, including pharmacological methods such as sedation or general anaesthesia, may be considered when basic techniques are insufficient to provide safe and effective care.
Behaviour guidance approaches should always prioritise patient safety, respect for the child, and ethical clinical practice.
To support clinical implementation and knowledge translation, IAPD has developed complementary educational materials.
Selected episodes of the IAPD Podcast Series explore clinical communication, child management strategies, and behavioural aspects of paediatric dental care.
Relevant webinars address communication strategies, behavioural management techniques, and safe delivery of dental care for children.
International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD).
IAPD Foundational Articles and Recommendations on Behaviour Guidance in Paediatric Dental Patients.
Originally published 2019. Global Agreement Validation 2022.
