Prevalence and Parental Attitude Toward Nitrous-Oxide and Papoose-Board Use in Two Dental Referral Centers in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Parental preferences and attitudes strongly influence dentists’ choices for managing children’s behavior in clinics. This study aimed to assess parental attitudes toward two behavior management technique (BMTs)—nitrous oxide (N2O) sedation and/or protective passive stabilization by papoose board (PB)—before and after their children received dental treatment at two referral centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Participants were parents of healthy children who required dental treatment under N2O and/or PB over an 18-month period. Before and after dental treatment, parents answered a questionnaire on their attitudes toward BMTs used on their children. Parents were divided into three groups: Group 1 (parents of children who received N2O), Group 2 (parents of children who received PB), and Group 3 (parents of children who received both N2O and PB). RESULTS: Out of the 132 parents who answered the questionnaire, 106 (80.3%) were in Group 1, 10 (7.6%) in Group 2, and 16 (12.1%) in Group 3. More children of parents with low monthly family incomes were in Group 3 than Group 1 compared to other family-incomes. CONCLUSION: Parental attitudes toward N2O and/or PB improved after their children experienced BMTs. The future use of PB alone with their child’s sibling was parents’ least preferred BMT (p = 0.001).