Pediatric dental care in a school clinic: perceptions of children and caregivers

Abstract

Introduction: Pediatric dental care evaluation by parents or caregivers may not represent the child’s view point, therefore, knowing the child’s opinion about the experience during the service is extremely important. Objectives: to analyze the perception of children and their caregivers about a pediatric dentistry school clinic attendance. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with descriptive analysis, with children from 6 to 10 years old, in attendance at the Children’s Clinic of the Dentistry course of the State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande/PB. The drawing-story-themed instrument was used with the children to assess the care received. At the end of the drawing, they made their verbal description, which was recorded and transcribed. To interpret the drawings, the thematic analysis technique proposed by Bardin (2002) was used. The Oral Health Services Assessment Questionnaire (QASSaB) was adapted and applied to caregivers. Results: The children highlighted characteristics of the dental environment in the story drawings, such as the presence of the equipment, the patient and the dentist. The curative treatment prevailed, whose care was considered by the children as humanized, revealing positive behavior in the dental consultation. For caregivers, the service provided was satisfactory with information and clarifications received. The physical environment was considered organized, clean and not noisy. There was resolution of the main complaint, with possible indication to other people. Caregivers rated the service as excellent/good. Conclusion: The pediatric dentistry school clinic provided the children and their caregivers with a pleasant situation, with a positive perception of the care received.