A conceptual model of parental behavior change following a child's dental general anesthesia procedure.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate parents' challenges to long-term maintenance of healthy behaviors following their child's dental general anesthesia (GA).

Methods: Twenty-six in-depth interviews were conducted with parents of children younger than 6 years of age who had dental treatment under GA. The interviews were scheduled at various time periods following the surgery. Compared were the responses of: (1) "relapse" families, whose child had new cavities at the 6-month recall; and (2) "no relapse" families, who were caries-free at recoil. A grounded theory approach to data analysis was used.

Results: "Relapse" parents: (1) valued baby teeth differently; (2) perceived their child to be less susceptible to new cavities; and (3) expressed lower self-efficacy for controlling their child's oral health compared to "no relapse" parents. They also appeared to be: (1) in earlier stages of change; (2) less receptive to advice from others, including professionals; and (3) more permissive regarding their child's desires. "Relapse" parents did not seem to have any immediate plans to change their "home-care" behaviors.

Conclusion: GA did not appear to affect long-term preventive behaviors for all parents. Readiness to change seemed to be an important predictor of whether parents adopted and maintained preventive behaviors to improve their child's oral health.