Parents send the fear of their dentist to their children

When we are small we learn to perceive the world through our parents, and because of that we end up inheriting their phobias and fears, because everything they fear is interpreted as a potential danger.

Now, a study published in the International Journal of Pediatric Dentistry has shown statistically that fear of the dentist is transmitted from father to son. So, if you get cold sweats every time you think of the dentist’s chair, you probably will not be the only one in your family to have that feeling.

The researchers, from the Carlos III University of Madrid, analyzed 183 children between 7 and 12 years old and their parents and found that, as expected, the fear levels of parents and children are correlated. In addition, the study explores the different roles of fathers and mothers in the transmission of fear. “Although the results should be taken with due caution, children seem to fundamentally attend to the emotional reactions of their parents to decide if dental events are potentially stressful. In this way, the father can mediate the transmission of fear from the mother to the child, since his reaction to the dentist can increase or reduce the anxiety experienced by the child.

In the face of dental clinic care, work with parents is fundamental, so that parents are calm, it is as interesting as directly seeking to relax the child. By the way of positive emotional contagion in the family could be induced in the child the right state that facilitates dental care.