Title:  Child dental anxiety, parental rearing style and dental history reported by parents

Abstract:  Aim To examine the relationship between self-reported parental rearing style, parent’s assessment of their child’s dental anxiety and the dental history of children. Materials and methods Parents of primary school children were asked to complete questionnaires about their parenting style, using four different questionnaires. Parents also completed the Child Fear Survey Schedule Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) on behalf of their child and a questionnaire about the dental history of their child. Results 454 interview forms were available for analysis. Minor associations were found between dental anxiety and parenting style. Anxious parents were more permissive and less restrictive in their parenting style. Parents of children who did not visit their dentist for regular check-ups reported more laxness and less restrictiveness. Children who had a cavity at the time of investigation, children who had suffered from toothache in the past and children who did not have a nice and friendly dentist reported more dental anxiety. Conclusion No clear associations between parenting style and dental anxiety were found. Known causes of dental anxiety were confirmed.