Issues Regarding Insurance and Other Third-party Reimbursement for Behavioral Management Procedures.

The evidence base for behavior management techniques and philosophies targeted toward children changes over time to incorporate new information and reflect evolving societal and professional norms about what is effective, appropriate, and acceptable. New evidence may suggest certain techniques are more or less effective than previously assumed. Approaches that may have been the standard of care 20 years ago may no longer be appropriate or tolerable for children or their parents. As professionals, dentists are obligated to keep their knowledge and skills current and incorporate these approaches into their practices, as appropriate. A dentist's ability to do so may be facilitated or hindered by a number of factors. Reimbursement for behavior management services potentially has a significant influence in changing accepted practice. The compensation received for one time and effort in providing behavior management services will be assessed against the costs of providing them, including the opportunity costs associated with not doing something else. In some instances, the cost of such care will be fully reimbursed by a third party.