Abstract
Objective: To interpret the change in child’s behaviour in presence/absence of parents during dental care. Material and Methods: Sixty children were examined till the age of 12 years visiting the out patient department of pediatric dentistry where parents along with the child were allowed in the operatory. After sometime parents were asked to leave and behavioural changes were noted. During revisit again the behaviour was noted according to Frankl scale. McNemar test was applied to test the behaviour response of children with parental absence/presence. The significance level was set at 5 %. Results: In 1st visit, 78.3% showed positive behaviour and 21.7% showed negative behaviour in parental absence, indicating that the child has more likelihood of showing positive behaviour in the presence of parents (p 0.05). In second visit, the negative behaviour reduced. When parents were absent 21.7% showed negative behaviour (p=0.000). This indicated that the child has more likelihood of showing positive behaviour in the presence of parents. Age group-wise analysis revealed that in the 3-5 years age group presence or absence of parents is a significant factor for child’s behaviour. This factor is a non-issue in the elder age group like 6-8 years and 9-12 years. When the parents are absent, no significant difference was observed (p>0.05). Conclusion: There was no significant difference in parental presence/absence in elder children while the same can’t be said for younger children.
Highlights
Every child is unique, and each child has specific needs
In other 6-8 and 9-12 year age group, no difference was noticed in the presence or absence of the parents (p>0.05)
This indicated that the child has more likelihood of showing positive behaviour in the presence of parents
Summary
The parent-child relationship forms the basics of influence of parents on children’s behavior. The mother-child relationship is given more importance as mother is often the primary care giver [1]. Children experience many new things while growing up: their first tooth, first words, first steps, first birthday, and first haircut. Parents should be prepared for every step of their child’s new life experiences, including dental visits [2]. Various psychological theories (Freud’s, Erikson etc) have explored the relationship between parents and their children. Many characteristics of parents are transferred to their children unknowingly. The acquisition of dental fear occurs by three pathways: direct conditioning, modeling, information / instruction [3]. Parent’s dental anxiety can greatly influence their child, that’s why parents should control their natural behaviour in a dental office
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