©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Clin Cases. Mar 6, 2026; 14(7): 118432
Published online Mar 6, 2026. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i7.118432
Published online Mar 6, 2026. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i7.118432
Influence of age, gender, and previous dental experience on children’s preferences for dentist attire: An observational study
Aparna Kadiveti, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Sibar Institute of Dental Sciences, Guntur 522509, Andhra Pradesh, India
Muthyala Pavana Sandya, Prasanth Tumarada, Department of Public Health Dentistry, ST. Joseph Dental College, Duggirala 522330, Andhra Pradesh, India
Ekavenika Kovelakar, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Drs Sudha & Nageswara Rao Siddhartha Institute of Dental Sciences, Vijayawada 521101, Andhra Pradesh, India
Leela Venkata Sai Krishna Maramreddy, Department of Orthopaedics, Great Eastern Medical School, Srikakulam 532484, Andhra Pradesh, India
Co-corresponding authors: Aparna Kadiveti and Leela Venkata Sai Krishna Maramreddy.
Author contributions: Kadiveti A, Sandya MP, and Tumarada P have been involved in the inception of the thought, protocol formation; Kadiveti A, Sandya MP, Tumarada P, and Kovelakar E have been involved in the performing of the study, data collection and anlaysis; Kadiveti A, Sandya MP, Tumarada P, Kovelakar E, and Maramreddy LVSK have been involved in writing the initial manuscript and in performing the revision; Kadiveti A and Maramreddy LVSK contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-corresponding authors. All the authors agree with revised manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of ST. Joseph Dental College & Hospital (Approval No. SJDC/CEC/PHD/2025/003).
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from each child included in the study and their respective guardians.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available to share.
Corresponding author: Aparna Kadiveti, Associate Professor, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Sibar Institute of Dental Sciences, Nadivelugu Road, Takkellapadu, Guntur 522509, Andhra Pradesh, India. draparnaortho@gmail.com
Received: January 6, 2026
Revised: January 26, 2026
Accepted: February 4, 2026
Published online: March 6, 2026
Processing time: 63 Days and 17.3 Hours
Revised: January 26, 2026
Accepted: February 4, 2026
Published online: March 6, 2026
Processing time: 63 Days and 17.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Age, gender, and prior dental experiences remain important factors shaping children’s preferences for a dentist’s appearance. As children mature, their fear of the white coat tends to diminish, and preferences for a specific dentist gender or child-friendly mask types also decrease. Nonetheless, it is important to recognize that beyond appearance, qualities such as communication skills, behavior, and the dentist’s attitude have a greater influence on the child-dentist relationship.