Children’s Emotions Upon the Shedding of the First Primary Tooth From Parents’ Perspective

Background: The loss of the first primary tooth is a significant early biological milestone in a child's development. As a novel experience, it often triggers a complex mix of excitement, confusion, and apprehension. Parents should focus on providing support to ensure this transition is viewed as a positive and reassuring event. Aims: To report children's different emotions upon losing their first primary tooth and possible factors that may influence these emotions. Study Design: An online cross-sectional survey utilized social media and recruited 988 parents of children aged 5-8 years. Eligibility required that the child had experienced the exfoliation of at least one primary tooth. Methods: Besides parental demographics, the study used a questionnaire to evaluate child-specific variables: sex, duration of tooth wiggle, and emotional state during exfoliation. History of traumatic dental injuries or caries-related visits and witnesses of siblings' tooth exfoliation were also recorded. Statistics: Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression tests were used. Results: Of all parents, 54.6% reported positive emotions, and 30.4% reported negative emotions. Significantly higher positive emotions were found in children getting dental check-up visits (OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.07-2.07), and when the child witnessed tooth exfoliation in older siblings (odd ratio (OR) = 1.73, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29-2.32). Significantly more negative emotions were found in children attending public schools (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.02-1.95), speaking one language (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.29-2.87), having two or more siblings (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.02-2.98), and having a negative attitude to a dental visit (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.23-2.30). Main Conclusions: The majority of children associate the loss of their first primary tooth with positive emotions. Conversely, approximately one-third experience negative emotions. The emotional response is significantly influenced by child-related factors and previous dental visits.