Can parents and children evaluate each other's dental fear?

Luoto A, Tolvanen M, Rantavuori K, Pohjola V, Lahti S. Can parents and children evaluate each other’s dental fear? Eur J Oral Sci 2010; 118: 254–258. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Eur J Oral Sci The aim of this study was to determine whether parents and their 11–16‐yr‐old children can evaluate each other’s dental fear. At baseline the participants were 11–12‐yr‐old children from the Finnish Cities of Pori (n = 1,691) and Rauma (n = 807), and one of their parents. The children and their parents were asked if they or their family members were afraid of dental care. Fears were assessed using single 5‐point Likert‐scale questions that included a ‘do not know’ option. Children and parents answered the questionnaire independently of each other. Background variables were the child’s and their parent’s gender. Parents’ and children’s knowledge of each other’s dental fear was evaluated with kappa statistics and with sensitivity and specificity statistics using dichotomized fear variables. All kappa values were