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Peretz B, Gluck G Int J Paediatr Dent 15: 429–436

Management of uncooperative dental behaviour is usually achieved by some procedure to allay anxiety, but it is important to avoid unintentional reinforcement of such behaviour. In this study, the widely-used TSD approach was compared with a “magic” trick (MT) in relation to the time taken for the child to sit in the dental chair, and acceptance of radiographic examination.

Children aged 3-6 yrs and identified as manifesting strong-willed behaviour were randomised to two groups of 35 for the two different approaches. Children in the MT group sat on the dental chair in a mean 141 s, and those given TSD took a mean of 222 s (P= 0.001), and 32 of the MT group accepted radiographs compared with 19 of the TSD group (P= 0.0013). Frankl's behaviour category was recorded for each child by the dentist, and 3 were rated negative in the MT group and 7 in the TSD group. Others were rated positive or very positive. The authors conclude that MTs may facilitate cooperative behaviour.