The relationship between parenting styles and the severity of dental caries in children aged 5–6 years

Hubungan pola asuh orang tua dengan keparahan karies gigi pada anak usia 5-6 tahun

Abstract

Dental caries in young children remains a common oral health problem that can affect a child’s quality of life. One factor thought to be associated with the se-verity of dental caries in children is parental child-rearing practices, as these play a role in shaping oral health care behaviours. This study examines the rela-tionship between parental parenting styles and the severity of dental caries in children aged 5–6 years using an analytical observational study with a cross-sectional design. The study involved 95 pairs of children and parents at the Integrated Early Childhood Education Pertiwi Dharma Wanita Persatuan Regio-nal Secretariat of South Sulawesi Province. Parental parenting styles were classified as authoritarian, democratic, and permissive based on a questionnaire. The severity of dental caries in children was measured using the dmf-t and PUFA indices. Data were analysed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann–Whitney test, which indicated a relationship between parenting styles and the severity of dental caries in children (p<0.05). This association was demonstra-ted by differences in the severity of dental caries between the parenting style groups. The highest dmf-t and PUFA index values were found in children with a permissive parenting style, whilst the lowest values were found in the democratic parenting style. It was concluded that a permissive parenting style is associated with a higher severity of dental caries.