Influence of age, gender, and previous dental experience on children’s preferences for dentist attire: An observational study

Table 1 Demographic characteristics of the study participants (n = 239)

Number	Variable	Category	n (%)	95%CI
1	Age group	7-9 years	4 (1.6)	0.4-4.3
		10-12 years	110 (46)	39.7-52.3
		13-15 years	125 (52.3)	46.0-58.6
2	Gender	Male	102(42.7)	40.9-53.5
		Female	137(57.3)	45.8-58.4
3	Dental visit history	First dental visit	148(61.9)	55.7-68.0
		Previous dental experience	91(38.1)	32.0-44.3
4	Area of residence	Urban	145(60.7)	54.5-66.9
		Rural	94 (39.3)	33.1-45.5
5	School type	Government	112(46.9)	40.6-53.2
		Private	127(53.1)	46.8-59.4

CI: Confidence interval.

Table 2 Children’s preferences regarding dentist attire

Number	Attire option	n (%)
1	White coat	142 (59.4)
2	Casual attire	21 (8.8)
3	Child friendly	35 (14.6)
4	Formal attire	32 (13.4)
5	Professional scrubs	6 (2.5)
6	Dentist with white coat, head cap and mask	10 (4.1)

Table 3 Association between age and attire preference (χ² = 10.98), Cramer’s V = 0.15

Number	Age group	Most preferred attire	P value	Interpretation
1	7-9 years	Child friendly	0.052	No significant relationship indicating a potential age-related trend in outfit choice; Cramer’s V suggests a weak but meaningful age-related influence on attire preference
2	10-12 years	White coat
3	13-15 years	White coat

Table 4 Association between gender and attire preference (χ² = 4.26) Cramer’s V = 0.13

Number	Gender	Preferred attire	P value	Interpretation
1	Male	White coat	0.513	No significant relation and association between gender and attire preferences
2	Female	Mixed preferences

Table 5 Association between children attending (type of Institution) and attire preference (χ² = 13.42), Cramer’s V = 0.24

Number	Children attending (institution)	Preferred attire	P value	Interpretation
1	Private	Distinct preference (white coat)	0.02	Significant relationship observed stating Institutional setting affects attire preferences, with private sector participants exhibiting different patterns compared to those from government institutions
2	Government	Mixed preferences

Table 6 Association between children (area of residence) and attire preference (χ² = 15.04), Cramer’s V = 0.25

Number	Children (area of residence)	Preferred attire	P value	Interpretation
1	Urban	White coat	0.01	Significant relation exists between children area of residence and dentist attire preference
2	Rural	Mixed preferences