Children's and parents' attitudes towards dentists' attire.
OBJECTIVE
To assess children and parental attitudes towards dental attire.


METHODS
A convenience sample of paediatric dental patients and their parents attending the Paediatric Dentistry Dept. (Leeds, UK). Data was collected using a questionnaire accompanied by a series of photographs of female and male dental students in different modes of attire.


RESULTS
100 parents with a mean age of 40.4 years (SD+/-8.8) and range 23-60 years, and 100 children with a mean age of 9.8 years (SD+/-3.5) and range 4-16 years responded. Participants preferred females in white coat and mask (15.5%) and white coat (10.5%); males in white coat and mask (11.0%), white coat and glasses (9.0%) and formal shirt (8.5%). Parents significantly preferred formal attire and children informal attire (x2=25.417, p<0.022). Comparing white coat vs paediatric coats, both parents and children ranked white coats in favour of paediatric coats (x2= 1.476, p=0.347). A highly significant difference was found between the male participants who favoured the male dental student and female participants the female dental student (x2= 30.600, p<0.000).


CONCLUSIONS
Parents favoured traditional dress as it gives an air of professionalism. Children preferred dental students in casual attire, both children and parents ranked formal white in favour of a paediatric coat. There was a highly significant difference in preference of the participants towards the sex of their dental health care provider, male participants favoured male student and females female students.
Mistry
D
D
Dept. of Paediatric Dentistry, Leeds Dental Institute, Clarendon Way, Leeds LS2 9LU, England.
Tahmassebi
J F
JF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003020:Clothing / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D057240:Patient Preference; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult