Child in the dental chair - communicating beyond words

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Due to anxiety & fear, young children tend to be less co-operative in the dental setting. Even the very sight of the dental chair can frighten some children. It is therefore essential for dentists to have good communication skills - both verbal & nonverbal; to provide the best possible care for their child patients. Nonverbal communication accounts for majority of information transmitted during interpersonal interactions. AIM: 1) To document through video analysis, nonverbal communication between the child patient and the dental team during paediatric dental consultations. 2) To identify patterns in nonverbal communication during dental consultations with child patient. DESIGN: A Pilot study (13 cases of 5–12 years old healthy children) was conducted to analyze nonverbal communication between the dental team and child patient during dental consultation. Naturally occurring routine clinical dental consultations were captured using audio-visual recording devices. The data was stored electronically and accessed for data analysis. RESULTS: All cases analyzed showed existence of nonverbal communication during paediatric dental consultations. The very young children (5–6 years) are almost always subjected to nonverbal communication in the form of body language like – hand gestures, body movements, facial expressions & body position. The frequency of use of body language decreases as the child’s age increases. CONCLUSIONS: Using body language to communicate is an integral part of paediatric dental consultations in gaining the confidence of a young, anxious child. This phenomenon decreases in older children, exhibiting physical & intellectual independence.