McTigue D J, Pinkham J
ASDC J Dent Child. 1978 May-Jun;45(3):218-22.
The results of this study showed that clinical distinctions can be made regarding the behavior of children in the dental setting and that these distinctions are reflected in the behavior of these children in an easily-arranged play situation. The existence of such associations of behavior presents the possibility that play behavior may be a reliable predictor of maladaptive dental behavior. If so, the incorporation of a play dental area into a dental office would be an inexpensive and convenient method of intercepting potential problem dental patients. If the results of this study can be replicated, they would support the initiation of a study to predict the behavior of children in the dental setting by means of easily scorable aspects of their play behavior in a simulated dental environment. Special management considerations could then be made to prevent disruptive behavior at subsequent appointments. The results also point up the tendency of problem patients to avoid certain aspects of the play dental experience. This suggests a possible treatment potential for the dental play area, using it as an instrument to desensitize appropriate patients to those aspects of dental treatment which distress them, and thereby reduce their anxieties, prior to actual dental treatment.
本研究结果表明，在牙科环境中可以对儿童的行为做出临床区分，并且这些区分反映在这些儿童在易于安排的游戏情境中的行为上。这种行为关联的存在表明游戏行为可能是适应不良牙科行为的可靠预测指标。如果是这样，在牙科诊所设置一个游戏区域将是一种廉价且便捷的方法，可以拦截潜在的问题牙科患者。如果本研究结果能够得到重复验证，它们将支持开展一项研究，通过儿童在模拟牙科环境中的游戏行为中易于评分的方面来预测其在牙科环境中的行为。然后可以采取特殊的管理措施，以防止在后续就诊时出现干扰行为。结果还指出了问题患者倾向于避免牙科游戏体验的某些方面。这表明牙科游戏区域具有潜在的治疗作用，可将其作为一种工具，在实际牙科治疗之前，使合适的患者对困扰他们的牙科治疗方面脱敏，从而减轻他们的焦虑。
