Positive Parenting Styles Tied to Less Unmet Dental Needs in Children with Developmental Disabilities

This study aimed to identify factors, particularly positive parenting styles, associated with unmet dental needs, defined as no dental visit for the past 12 months, in children with developmental disabilities (DD). Participants included 263 primary caregivers of children with DD. Children exposed to less positive parenting styles were more than two times (aOR, 2.19, 95%CI, 1.12–4.32) more likely to have unmet dental needs. Children who were male (aOR, 1.88, 95%CI, 1.04–3.41), aged < 4 years (aOR, 2.95, 95%CI, 1.2–7.27) or aged ≥ 11 years (aOR, 2.65, 95%CI, 1.25–5.64), had higher illness severity (aOR, 2.04, 95%CI, 1.09–3.81), had primary caregivers with less than or equal to high school education (aOR, 2.45, 95%CI, 1.13–5.30) were also more likely to have unmet dental needs.