Association of parenting style with the behaviour and caries prevalence of preschool children

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to associate parenting styles (democratic, authoritarian, and permissive) with the behaviour, and prevalence of caries lesions among preschool children submitted to dental care. Methods: At the initial consultation, preschool children (n = 67), from two to six years of age, were evaluated for behaviour through the Frankl scale. The parenting styles were investigated through the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire - Reduced Version (PSDQ) and the prevalence of caries lesions through the dmft index. Sociodemographic and economic data were collected. The chi-squared test was used for association among parenting styles, dmft index, type of behaviour (dichotomised as positive and negative), and the following independent variables: socioeconomic level, single child, school attendance, and educational level of the person in charge. ANOVA followed by the Tukey test were used to compare the mean dmft and parenting styles. Results: The majority of preschoolers presented positive behaviour (83.6%), and the dmft mean was 4.76 (± 3.43). Of the total, 49.3% were democratic, 44.8% were permissive, and 6% were authoritarian. There was no association between parenting styles and all variables investigated (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Considering the results, it can be observed that there was no association among parenting styles, caries prevalence, and behaviour of the preschool children in an initial dental consultation.