A child-oriented philosophy of dental management.

This article presents a child-centered philosophy for managing young dental patients. The goals of this approach are to reduce children’s dental fear to a minimum and to encourage a positive, accepting attitude toward regular dental care. Interventions which focus on the young child’s emotional needs in the dental setting are encouraged. The dentist uses techniques designed to help the child gradually develop more accurate perceptions, more effective coping skills, and more stress tolerance. The parent is enlisted as a valuable ally and resource in this