A Novel Pilot Study of Internet-stored Videotapes and Pediatric Dentists Predicting Behavior of Preschoolers.

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate a web-based technology as a means of clinical research in assessing pediatric dentists' accuracy in predicting patient behaviors during a clinical procedure based on pre-procedural behaviors shown in vignettes.A private web-based server was used to house six two-minute vignettes and a questionnaire on children's behaviors and temperament characteristics. An electronic link via an e-mail invitation was sent to a sample of pediatric dentists. Six patients undergoing a clinical examination were pre-rated using the Ohio State Behavior Rating Scale and classified each as cooperative, potentially cooperative, and uncooperative. The vignettes displayed the children prior to undergoing an examination. Pediatric dentists were asked to predict the children's behaviors and temperament during the clinical examination based on the behavior in the vignettes.Results indicated that 89 percent of the respondents were able to correctly classify and predict behaviors in at least four of the six vignettes. Respondents were less confident and accurate in their predictions for children who were rated as uncooperative (48 percent and 33 percent, respectively).Web-based technology may be a promising tool for studies in pediatric dentistry. Pediatric dentists can rapidly perceive cues in classifying and discriminating behaviors.