Participação dos pais na tomada de decisões no atendimento odontológico de seus filhos

According to the Brazilian Dental Ethical Code it is considered an infration to treat children without parents or guardians consent except in emergencial needs. On pediatric dental treatment it is mandatory that parents should be informed about the procedures that their children will receive as well as treatment options and their costs to allow them to emit a clarified consent. The aim of this study is to analyse if and how parents participate on decisions about their children’s dental treatment. It was used a questionnaire to 122 parents or guardians, of children between 0 and 6 years of age, attending a public school in Florianópolis. 70,2% of parents did authorize orally dental treatment of their children, only 5,3% signed a written consent and 61,6% did not receive treatment options. It was concluded that paternalist posture is still present nowadays in dental pediatric office, where children’s treatment choices should be shared with parents. descriptors: Bioethics • Pediatric dentistry • Parental consent.