Behavior management in pediatric dentistry is sketchily done by two means, non-pharmacological and pharmacological. The ‘pharmacological’ refers to drug, pharmacy etc. and when these drugs or pharmacy is involved in controlling behavior of the child, it is known as pharmacological means of behavior management. It is usually done by nitrous oxide conscious sedation or general anaesthesia. And, when no drug or pharmacological means are involved, it is known as non-pharmacological method. This involves lot of techniques and methods and is always the first step of managing behavior of children in Pediatric Dentistry. The fundamental and universal technique in this category is communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Communication is simply defined as the way of exchanging ideas with each other.1 The way in which a pediatric dentist communicates with the child patient, lays the cornerstone of child behavior management in pediatric dental practice. Fear and anxiety are two emotions that can be ebbed by proper communication. The message from the operator to the child should be clear, precise and in simple words. And, there comes the use of ‘Euphemisms’ in picture.

Euphemisms are substitute words used in place of scientific words, which are difficult to comprehend by the child to make him understand the procedure in a simple way. It is also known as a second language. It is an imperative fragment of non-pharmacological means of behavior management in pediatric dentistry. There are a lot of euphemisms used in dentistry for children as follows: 2, 3

A new euphemism, ‘Tooth Bug Catcher’ for ‘Endodontic files used for root canal treatment in young children’ is now added to the literature of pediatric dentistry by Vipin Ahuja and Annapurna Ahuja (Registered in the Copyright Office, Government of India with registration no. L-104586/2021). 4 At the outset, Euphemisms are a collection of simple words which are also known as substitute words used frequently in dentistry for children.

Conflict of Interest

None.