Parental and familial factors affecting children's dental fear and anxiety

Abstract

Introduction: Dental fear and anxiety (DFA) is a major issue affecting children’s oral health and clinical management. This study investigates the association between children’s DFA and parental/familial factors, namely parents’ DFA, parenting style, and family pattern (single parent /nuclear family, presence of sibling, and birth order).

Methods: A total of 405 child-parent triads were recruited from 3 primary schools. Self-administered questionnaires were completed to collect information on their family socio-demographic background, family pattern, parenting style, and DFA and dental history of parents and the child. Parents’ DFA was measured using the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS), while the level of the child’s DFA was gauged by Children Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS–DS). Parenting styles were identified using the Parent Authority Questionnaire (PAQ).

Results: DFA was reported by 33.1% children. The common triggers were drilling and related stimuli (sight and sound of drilling), injection, and being touched by a stranger. The mean (SD) CFSS-DS score was 29.1 (11.0). Children’s DFA was not significantly associated with parenting style, parents’ DFA, or dental experience of themselves and their parents (all p>0.05). Children with siblings tended to report DFA, as compared with single child (37.0% vs. 24.1%; p=0.034). They also had a higher CFSS-DS score (29.9 vs. 27.4; p=0.025). Multivariate analysis showed that children from nuclear families had higher CFSS-DS score as compared with children from single-parent families (β=9.140; p=0.031).

Conclusions: DFA is common among children and is more evident in children with siblings and from nuclear families. Parenting style, parents’ DFA, and children/ parents’ dental experience were not associated with children’s DFA.