Children’s dental fear and anxiety: exploring family related factors

Abstract

BackgroundDental 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 family related factors, including parents’ DFA, parenting styles, family structure (nuclear or single-parent family), and presence of siblings.MethodsA total of 405 children (9–13 years old) and their parents were recruited from 3 elementary schools in Hong Kong. Child’s demographic and family-related information was collected through a questionnaire. Parents’ and child’s DFA were measured by using the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and Children Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS–DS), respectively. Parenting styles were gauged by using the Parent Authority Questionnaire (PAQ).ResultsDFA was reported by 33.1% of children. The mean (SD) CFSS-DS score was 29.1 (11.0). Children with siblings tended to report DFA (37.0% vs. 24.1%; p = 0.034) and had a higher CFSS-DS score (29.9 vs. 27.4; p = 0.025) as compared with their counterpart. Children from single-parent families had lower CFSS-DS score as compared with children from nuclear families (β = − 9.177; p = 0.029). Subgroup analysis showed a higher CFSS-DS score among boys with siblings (β = 7.130; p = 0.010) as compared with their counterpart; girls’ from single-parent families had a lower CFSS-DS score (β = − 13.933; p = 0.015) as compared with girls from nuclear families. Children’s DFA was not associated with parents’ DFA or parenting styles (p > 0.05).ConclusionsFamily structure (nuclear or single-parent family) and presence of siblings are significant determinants for children’s DFA. Parental DFA and parenting style do not affect children’s DFA significantly.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12903-018-0553-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effect of a relaxation training exercise on behaviour, anxiety, and pain during buccal infiltration anaesthesia in children: Randomized clinical trial

“…Other factors influencing dental anxiety such as temperament, personality factors, and the coping abilities of the child, however, may have influenced the outcome . Also, family‐related factors such as socioeconomic status, family structure, the influence of siblings, and parental anxiety may have influenced the anxiety of the child . The Facial Image Scale that was used in this study as a self‐reported measure of anxiety is shown to have good validity.…”

“…22,23 Also, family-related factors such as socioeconomic status, family structure, the influence of siblings, and parental anxiety may have influenced the anxiety of the child. 24,25 The Facial Image Scale that was used in this study as a self-reported measure of anxiety is shown to have good validity. The FIS is widely used since it gives immediate feedback to the clinician regarding the state anxiety of the child and is quick and simple to administer.…”

Effects of Familial Characteristics on Dental Fear: A Cross-sectional Study

“…In addition, a significant relationship between parents' and children's DFA has been established in many longitudinal and crosssectional studies, 15,16,[34][35][36] although a recent study contradicted these results. 18 It seems that maternal DA has a substantial effect on the children. A significant positive correlation between mothers' DA and their children's DA has been reported.…”

“…17 However, Wu and Gao in a recent study from Hong Kong found no association between parental DA and DF in their children. 18 DF can also be transmitted from other members of the family to the child. 14 Classically, it was suggested that exposure to threatening information and cultural thoughts can lead to DF during childhood.…”

Anxiety of parents and children in dental care

“…Moreover studies have also shown that parents who are fearful and anxious about dental treatments are associated with an increase in the occurrence of caries disease in their children, since they are more resistant to accompany their children to the dentist [4]. Studies reveal a strong association between fear and anxiety among children and parental dental fear with the child's behavior [7,8] which show that parents can contribute to anxiety and fear development in children [6]. For this reason, it is necessary to identify and quantify fear and anxiety in the dental treatment and to monitor its effect [9].…”