title: Parents' presence in the operatory during their child's dental visit: a person-environmental fit analysis of parents' responses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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 remain/not 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, The School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Jung Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Boynton
authors.forename: Marita Rohr
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Inglehart
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003256:Community Participation; D016854:Dental Anxiety; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult