Social desirability and questioning children in dental research

The influence of social desirability on the results of a social dental investigation was examined in a survey of 320 15-yr-old children. Children with a lower level of schooling seemed to be more inclined to give social desirable answers. It appeared that the stronger the social desirability, the more satisfaction children tended to show with their dentist, the less they said they were afraid of him, but, surprisingly, the less responsible they felt for their dental health. Other measures were not influenced by social desirability: dental hygiene, perception of the quality of one's own teeth, knowledge about dental health, sources of information, and evaluation of the dentist's behavior. Also independent of social desirability were the measures of the amount of fluid sugar consumed, the child's obesity, and the actual dental health (DMFS, degree of treatment, P.H.P.). Several aspects of the meaning of social desirability in dental research are discussed.