Preventive
Nicole C. Buzzi, DMD (she/her/hers)
Resident
Boston University, Boston, MA
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Christine Chiao, MPH, DMD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Boston University Henry Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Abidin Hakan Tuncer, DMD, MPH, FSCD
Children's Hospital Colorado
Siobhian Sprott, DDS
Franciscan Childrens Hospital
Keri Discepolo, DDS, MPH
Post Graduate Program Director of Pediatric Dentistry
Boston University Henry Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Christine Chiao, MPH, DMD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Boston University Henry Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Keri Discepolo, DDS, MPH
Post Graduate Program Director of Pediatric Dentistry
Boston University Henry Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
The Role of Parental Dental Anxiety in Children’s Oral Health
Buzzi N, Chiao C, Tuncer H, Sprott S, Discepolo K
Boston University, Boston, MA
Purpose: Early dental visits establish a dental home, providing a foundation upon which a lifetime of dental education, prevention and oral health care can be built. Children whose parents avoid bringing them to dentist, as a result of their own dental fear, have an increased risk for dental decay. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore whether parental dental fear results in a delay in their child’s first dental appointment.
Methods: Parents of children ages 6 and under at a hospital dental clinic were invited to participate in the study by completing an anonymous 22 question survey. The screened parents for dental anxiety, using the published 5 question Modified Dental Anxiety Scale. Additional questions recorded parent demographics, the age at which their child’s first dental appointment took place, and additional variables.
Results: Preliminary results from sample of 58 surveys show an average MDAS score of 10.2. 29% of participants were male and 70% of participants were female. 43% of responders stated their child’s first dental appt was between 0 and 1 years old, 45% stated it was between 2 and 3 years old, and 10% stated it was between 4 and 5 years old.
Conclusion: Initial analyses suggest that MDAS score is not correlated with a delay in the child’s first dental appointment.