Dental anxiety of parents in an Israeli kibbutz population.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the levels of dental anxiety in both parents of children in a kibbutz in Israel. Sixty pairs of parents between 22 and 56 years of age with children aged 1-14 years comprised the study population. The parents were divided into three age groups: 22-34 years, 35-44 years, and 45-56 years. Dental anxiety was assessed by using Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale and Kleinknecht's Dental Fear Survey. The mothers showed significantly higher levels of dental anxiety than the fathers. Within the families dental anxiety of husbands and wives were poorly correlated. Mothers in the 35-44-year age group displayed the highest scores of dental anxiety. Among the fathers, dental anxiety was highest in the youngest age group (22-34 years). The mean Corah score for the combined group was much higher than those reported for patients in private clinics in Sweden and in the USA. The results suggest that mothers in their mid-thirties to mid-forties merit special support with regard to the dental situation.