Parents' presence in the operatory during their child's dental visit: A person-environmental fit analysis of parents' responses

摘要

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore whether parents' satisfaction with their child's treatment and their attitudes concerning the dental visit are affected by the fit between their desire to be present/absent during their child's dental treatment and whether they were actually present/absent. In addition, this study explored the effects of child variables (age, gender, ethnicity, and prior experiences with dental treatment) and parent variables (age, gender, and prior own dental experiences) on parents' desire to remainot remain with their child. Methods: Survey data were collected with paper-pencil surveys from 239 parents at the beginning and at the end of their child's dental appointment. The survey contained questions concerning the parents' preferences for being with their child in the operatory and their evaluations of the dental visit. Results: Parents whose experiences concerning being in the operatory matched their wishes were more satisfied and had more positive attitudes concerning the dental visit vs parents whose experiences and wishes did not match. The older the parents were, the more they wanted to accompany the child into the operatory. Conclusions: The fit between the parents' desire to be present/absent during their child's treatment and the actual situation they encountered was significantly related with the parents' satisfaction and attitudes related to their child's dental visit.