The influence of parenting style on child behavior and dental anxiety

Purpose: Previous studies provide mixed and inconclusive evidence for an effect of parenting style on children's dental anxiety and behavior. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between parenting style and children's dental anxiety and behavior and assess the methodological quality of published literature. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for articles published up to November 1, 2017. The children's dental anxiety score and behavior score were the primary outcomes. The modified Newcastle-Ottawa score was used to assess methodological quality. Of the 983 articles identified, eight cross-sectional studies, with a total of 1,611 participants, met our inclusion criteria. Results: We observed significant differences in children's dental anxiety and behavior, according to parenting style, in studies of preschool children without dental experience or a history of dental phobia. Conversely, no differences were seen in studies of school-aged children with previous dental experience or who were referred to a dentist. Conclusions: The evidence supports a relationship between parenting style and children's dental anxiety and behavior. However, this association was limited to preschool children with no dental experience or dental phobia.