Parental Presence During Dental Visits: The Nigerian Dentists Point Of View

Background: The role of parental presence during paediatric dental treatment has long been debated among dental professionals. Historically, many paediatric dentists excluded parents from the operatory, under the assumption that such separation fostered a stronger patient–dentist relationship and facilitated treatment. More recent evidence, however, suggests that parental presence may alleviate children’s anxiety, improve cooperation, and reduce reliance on pharmacological interventions for anxiety management. In contrast, other studies have reported no significant association between parental presence or absence and children’s anxiety levels during dental procedures. Given these divergent findings, this study sought to examine the frequency with which Nigerian dentists who provide care for children permit parental presence during dental visits. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among dentists practicing in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Data were collected using a pretested, 40-item structured self-administered questionnaire designed to assess respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics and attitudes toward parental presence during paediatric dental treatment. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Associations between categorical variables were examined using the Chi-square test, while the McNemar test was employed to assess differences in proportions. Results: A total of 307 dentists participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 32.8 ± 6.63 years. Nearly all participants reported practicing in teaching hospitals. Parental presence was perceived to be most beneficial for children in the 2–5-year age group. Among younger children, parental presence was most frequently allowed during the management of children with special care needs and during new patient examinations. The majority of respondents indicated that parental presence sometimes limited their productivity (90.6%), wasted time (86.0%), and disrupted treatment (85.0%). Conversely, several respondents reported that parental presence improved child behaviour and provided comfort to the child. The proportion of dentists who permitted parental presence increased significantly with advancing age (p = 0.037) and years of professional experience (p = 0.046). Additionally, many dentists utilized parental presence in the operatory as an opportunity to educate parents on the oral health care of their children. Conclusion: Although the overall practice trend has shifted toward a reduction in consistently always allowing parental presence, it is increasingly being regarded as a right (53.3%) rather than merely a privilege (36.6%). This perception was particularly evident among more experienced dentists, who demonstrated greater acceptance of always allowing parental presence during treatment. These findings suggest that the decision to permit parents in the operatory is influenced both by the dentist’s attitude and by the age of the child