When parenting a child, you’re responsible for helping them learn basic tasks to care for themselves as they grow, like brushing their hair and teeth. However, many parents struggle to get their kids to thoroughly clean their mouths, making it a challenging chore.
A recent study published in 2021 suggests that praising your child when they brush their teeth can have a potentially positive impact. Continue reading to learn more about encouraging healthy at-home dental hygiene habits by expressing the right kind of appreciation for your little one’s efforts!
How Was the Impact of Praise on Dental Hygiene Studied?
A few years ago, the parents of 8 one- to three-year-olds participated in research to learn more about daily fluctuations in a young child’s persistence to perform specific tasks, like brushing their teeth. For two 16-day periods that took place between 2019 and 2020, families took videos of their kids completing their oral health routine each night. Parents were asked not to let their little ones scrub their pearly whites for as long as they could before they stepped in to assist.
Then, parents used compliments to encourage their children to finish the task. The types of praise were broken into three categories; process praise (“Good job!”), person praise (“Good boy/girl!”), or other praise (“Nice!” or “Very good!”). Other communications were also noted, like singing, reading a book, invoking pretend play, or offering instructions to complete the task at hand.
Parents also completed daily surveys that noted their own stress levels, the child’s mood, and their sleeping patterns.
What Did Researchers Learn from This Study?
It was discovered that a child’s persistence from day to day is impacted by how their parents talk with them. For example, they brushed longer on days when parents used more praise and less instruction. Also, they responded better to generic and process praise rather than personal.
Though this experiment reflects a small sample of people and doesn’t necessarily account for differences in family income, location, education, or sociopolitical affiliations, it does suggest that kids are greatly influenced by how their parents interact with them during the task at hand. Additional work needs to be done to verify the role of sleep, mood, and other factors in their ability to perform tasks they may not naturally want to do consistently.
If you have a little one at home who struggles with keeping their teeth and gums clean, remember that you can help by encouraging them with compliments as they learn how to take care of themselves!
About the Author
Dr. Niki Jayswal is passionate about helping people of all ages improve their lives by enhancing their oral health. She earned her dental degree from the University of Southern California School of Dentistry and is an active member of the American Dental Association and other prestigious professional organizations. She offers a full array of 5-star services to meet all your needs conveniently under one roof. As a mother herself, she understands the importance of helping children establish healthy habits early on. If you’d like to schedule a checkup and cleaning for your child, you can request an appointment on the website or call (972) 366-4452.