Evaluation of the influence of child–parent relationship on dental fear in children: A cross-sectional study
Abstract
Background: Dental fear and anxiety can complicate treatment delivery in children, while the contribution of broader child–parent relationship characteristics remains uncertain. Aims: The study aimed to evaluate the association between child–parent relationship domains and dental fear among children aged 6–12 years. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a tertiary dental care center. Materials and Methods: Children attending the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry were recruited consecutively. Dental fear was assessed using the 17-item Modified Children’s Fear Survey Schedule–Dental Subscale, and child–parent relationship quality was evaluated using the 30-item Child–Parent Relationship Scale. Closeness, conflict, and dependency were analyzed as domain scores. Of 300 available records, 299 met the eligibility criteria for the primary analysis. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Spearman’s rank correlation, Mann–Whitney U-test, and multiple linear regression were applied. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean dental fear score was 33.61 ± 7.30. Tooth extraction, syringe-related procedures, and drilling produced the highest fear scores. Closeness (rs = −0.036, P = 0.534), conflict (rs =0.065, P = 0.260), and dependency (rs = −0.004, P = 0.940) were not significantly associated with dental fear. Age and sex were also not associated with dental fear, and adjusted analysis yielded comparable findings. Conclusions: Dental fear was more closely related to procedure-specific concerns than to the child–parent relationship domains assessed in this study. Particular attention should be directed toward fear associated with needles, drilling, and anticipated extraction.
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BibTeX
@article{chawla2026evaluation,
title = {{Evaluation of the influence of child–parent relationship on dental fear in children: A cross-sectional study}},
author = {Sakshi Chawla and Dhanashree Dalal and Madhura Pawar and Sakshi Bhude and Lalit Patil and Sneha Panamgipalli},
journal = {Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.4103/jisppd.jisppd_234_26},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4103/jisppd.jisppd_234_26},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Evaluation of the influence of child–parent relationship on dental fear in children: A cross-sectional study
AU - Sakshi Chawla
AU - Dhanashree Dalal
AU - Madhura Pawar
AU - Sakshi Bhude
AU - Lalit Patil
AU - Sneha Panamgipalli
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry
DO - 10.4103/jisppd.jisppd_234_26
UR - https://doi.org/10.4103/jisppd.jisppd_234_26
AB - Background: Dental fear and anxiety can complicate treatment delivery in children, while the contribution of broader child–parent relationship characteristics remains uncertain. Aims: The study aimed to evaluate the association between child–parent relationship domains and dental fear among children aged 6–12 years. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a tertiary dental care center. Materials and Methods: Children attending the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry were recruited consecutively. Dental fear was assessed using the 17-item Modified Children’s Fear Survey Schedule–Dental Subscale, and child–parent relationship quality was evaluated using the 30-item Child–Parent Relationship Scale. Closeness, conflict, and dependency were analyzed as domain scores. Of 300 available records, 299 met the eligibility criteria for the primary analysis. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Spearman’s rank correlation, Mann–Whitney U-test, and multiple linear regression were applied. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean dental fear score was 33.61 ± 7.30. Tooth extraction, syringe-related procedures, and drilling produced the highest fear scores. Closeness (rs = −0.036, P = 0.534), conflict (rs =0.065, P = 0.260), and dependency (rs = −0.004, P = 0.940) were not significantly associated with dental fear. Age and sex were also not associated with dental fear, and adjusted analysis yielded comparable findings. Conclusions: Dental fear was more closely related to procedure-specific concerns than to the child–parent relationship domains assessed in this study. Particular attention should be directed toward fear associated with needles, drilling, and anticipated extraction.
SN - 0970-4388
SN - 1998-3905
ER -