Patrick M. O’Callaghan, Keith D. Allen, Shawn Powell, & Fouad Salama. (2006)
The efficacy of noncontingent escape for decreasing children’s
disruptive behavior during restorative dental treatment.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
39, 161-171.
We evaluated the effectiveness of a dentist-implemented
behavioral intervention in which brief escape from dental
treatment was provided on a regular basis, independent of
the child’s behavior. Within a multiple baseline design
across subjects, 5 children, ages 4 to 7 years, were
provided with temporary escape from dental treatment on
a fixed-time schedule. The intervals were signaled by an
electronic timer worn by the dentist. Clinically significant
reductions were observed in physically disruptive behavior
across all 5 children with the introduction of noncontingent
escape, and verbally disruptive behavior was markedly reduced
in 4 of the 5 children. In addition, the dental staff’s use
of physical restraint was reduced to near zero across all 5
children. The research extends the literature in both
clinical dentistry and in applied behavior analysis by
demonstrating that a dentist can easily and effectively
implement noncontingent reinforcement to produce clinically
significant and socially important changes in children’s health behavior.
DESCRIPTORS: noncontingent reinforcement, escape, dental visits, disruptive behavior