Parental Presence/Absence in the Dental Operatory as a Behavior Management Technique: A Review and Modified View.

Introduction: Parental presence/absence in the dental operatory (also called: Parent-in-parent-out technique) is an extremely controversial aspect of the nonpharmacological BMTs. Historically, dentists used to exclude parents from dental operatory to avoid their interference with the dentist's aptitude to build a rapport and relationship with the child, hence increasing the child management problems by disrupting treatment and making the dentist unfocused and uncomfortable.

Aim: The purpose of this article is to review and emphasize on the importance of parental presence/absence in the dental operatory, especially in a certain age group, as a behavior management technique (BMT) in pediatric dentistry, and to present a modified view of this technique.