Caregivers' Perceptions on Changing Parenting Styles

The purpose of this study was to characterize parenting styles of caregivers that present to a pediatric dental clinic, to assess parents' perceived changes in parenting styles and to explore the relationship between parenting styles and children's behavior in a pediatric dental setting. We used a survey instrument that was developed using adopted questions from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youths as well as validated items from a pilot study. Surveys were given to caregiver-child dyads who met inclusion criteria. Our major explanatory variables were the caregiver's parenting styles and socio-demographic information. Our major outcome variable was child behavior. 104 surveys were completed. No relationship was found between parenting style and child behavior in a dental setting. Caregivers today report increased difficulty in parenting children and this may impact a child's behavior in the dental setting