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The communication of pain in paediatric dentistry
1Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada. jversloot@psych.ubc.ca
Insights
Understanding children's dental pain communication is crucial. Accurate pain assessment, considering social factors, ensures effective dental care and prevents underestimation of their distress.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Pain Management
- Communication Models
Background:
- Pain expression in children is vital for seeking care but is inherently private.
- Assessing children's pain accurately is challenging due to individual differences in pain response.
- The social communication model of pain emphasizes social factors influencing children's pain expression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the communication model of pain.
- To apply this model to children's acute dental pain experiences.
- To improve the process of pain assessment in pediatric dentistry.
Main Methods:
- Review of the social communication model of pain.
- Application of the model to the pediatric dental context.
- Focus on factors influencing pain communication.
Main Results:
- The social communication model provides a framework for understanding pain expression.
- Social factors significantly impact a child's ability to communicate pain effectively.
- Improved pain assessment is achievable by considering these communication dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Underestimating children's pain or dismissing their self-reports risks inadequate dental care.
- Effective pain communication strategies are essential in pediatric dental settings.
- Accurate pain assessment is fundamental to providing necessary dental treatment.
Aim:
In this paper the communication model of pain is reviewed and the information then applied to understanding the acute pain experience of children in dentistry, with attention directed to improving the process of pain assessment.
Background:
Expression of pain in children is of great importance as it enables them to engage others who may provide care. The experience of pain, however, is inherently private and not directly accessible to others. Therefore, it requires judgment and skill on the part of observers if pain is to be assessed accurately. In addition, there are striking individual differences in how people react to pain, which makes the assessment of pain in others an even greater challenge. Craig and colleagues [2008] have proposed the use of the social communication model of pain that gives priority to understanding the numerous social factors that affect whether children are successful in communicating painful distress.
Conclusion:
When children's pain is underestimated or a child's self-report is not seen as credible, there is a considerable risk of failure to deliver needed dental care.
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