Child Life Interventions for Pediatric Dental Patients: A Pilot Study

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to assess whether child life intervention can be an effective alternative to pharmacologic behavior management in uncooperative pediatric dental patients. Methods: Thirty uncooperative four- to eight-year-old patients with no history of a negative invasive dental experience were randomly assigned into two groups: experimental (E) and control (C). Group E was given two 30- minute child life interventions (CLIs) by a certified child life specialist. Group C did not receive CLIs. Both groups then had an invasive restorative dental appointment, which was video recorded, edited, and viewed to assess behavior via the Houpt scale. Results: Group E demonstrated overall better cooperation for the appointment (Group C equals 3.63, and group E equals 4.07.) Conclusions: Child life interventions may be considered an adjunct to other behavior guidance techniques, but further investigations should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of CLIs on behavior in the dental setting.