This article intended to analyze the interaction between mother's and children's behaviors during dental care. The subjects were 5 dental patients (aged between 2 and 7 years) with their mothers. Dental sessions were videotaped, observers recorded child's and dentist's behavior. Quantitative analysis showed the higher rates of non-cooperation associated to the least interactive mother. Qualitative analysis, through functional analysis, indicated that the mothers might play a role as antecedents and as consequences for children's behavior in dental care; also, they can exert the function of historical variable by training self-controlled and rule-following behavior. Analyzing the contingencies, it is possible to predict and control behavior. Parents can be instructed and trained to conduct themselves more properly for the benefit of their child's health.
Functional analysis; Child; Pediatric dentistry; Mother-child relations
