Using parents to maintain improved dental flossing skills in children.

Four neurotypical kids learned to floss and cut plaque.

First, an experimenter gave prompts, self-monitoring sheets, small prizes, and quick feedback.

When plaque dropped, parents took over. They handed out the same rewards and praise at home for 3–4 months.

All four children cleared most of the sticky plaque while the experimenter ran the plan.

Three kept low plaque the whole time parents ran it.

One child bounced back up, showing parent follow-through is key.

Bryant et al. (1984) ran the same design—multiple baseline, parents at home, rewards plus talk—and beat fear of the dark in two weeks. The match says the package travels across very different child skills.

TWCosta et al. (2017) moved the same logic to drooling, but swapped the setting to outpatient plus telehealth. Their success shows the model still works when you drop in-person staff visits.

Lancioni et al. (2009) also cut drooling, yet let two teens hit a microswitch to wipe their own mouths. They kept gains for three months without parents giving rewards, hinting that older or tech-aided kids may not need ongoing parent prizes.

Thompson et al. (2024) kept parents in charge but aimed at preschool play, not health. Gains appeared again, proving the parent-coach method stretches from teeth to toys.

You can teach a tough health habit fast, then hand the leash to parents. Give them a short script: reward the act and note the result. Check floss logs or plaque pics once a week to keep them honest. If numbers rise, jump back in for a booster.