Parental presence in the dental operatory-parent's point of view.

Parental presence in the dental operatory is considered a controversial issue and majority of dentists prefer mothers not to be present in the operatory while the child receives dental care. Very few studies have focussed on the parental' point of view. The present study was carried out to find out the attitudes of parents towards being present determine in the operatory during dental procedure and also to determine if willingness to be present was influenced by variables like age, sex, order of the child among siblings and previous dental behavior. Data was collected from 1350 parents using a questionnaire designed by the authors. In the present study, 78.3% of parents expressed their willingness to be present with the child during dental procedures. The study also showed that parents of younger children were more likely to be willing to be present in the operatory and as age advanced, the percentage of parents willing to be present in the operatory decreased.