Influence of parenting styles on oral health status, emotional status and behavior of children in the dental setting

Background: Parents are the most important source of information regarding their child’s oral health and emotional and behavioral problems. Thus, child-rearing practices may influence various aspects of children’s life. Furthermore, the association of parenting styles with the psychological attributes, oral health status, and behavior of children and adolescents has been studied less in an Indian dental setup.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 182 healthy children of 4-14 years accompanied by their parents in east Lucknow. The oral health status of the children was assessed via a self-designed questionnaire as caries status and oral health-related behavior. During the procedure, the children’s behavior was recorded via Frankl’s behavior rating scale. Parenting style and dimension questionnaire (PSDQ) and strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) were completed by the parents to assess their parenting style and the emotional status of the children, respectively.Results: A statistically significant association was found between parenting styles and caries status (p<0.01). Significant correlations were noted between parenting styles and oral health-related behavior in terms of sweet beverage consumption (p=0.022) and snacking habits (p=0.036). Significant differences were observed in child’s behavior according to parenting styles and between parenting styles and total difficulties (p<0.01).Conclusions: Children of authoritative parents had less caries, better oral health-related behavior, less internalizing and externalizing problems, and more cooperative behavior in the dental operatory compared to other parenting styles.  