Tooth Fairy guilty of favouritism!. Issue 11 (11th December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Patcas, Raphael; van Waes, Hubertus JM; Daum, Moritz M; Landolt, Markus A
• Is Part Of: Medical journal of Australia. Volume 207:Issue 11(2017)
• Page Start: 482
• Page End: 486
• Publication Date: 2017-12-11
• Subjects: General medicine; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine; Médecine -- Périodiques; Medicine; Periodical; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 610
• DOI: 10.5694/mja17.00860
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-729X

Abstract

Abstract: Objectives: To determine the proportion of children visited by the Tooth Fairy, the child‐related factors that influence the likelihood of her visit, and the parent‐related variables that affect the amount of money the Tooth Fairy leaves. Design: Cross‐sectional questionnaire study. Setting: Zürich, Switzerland. Participants: 3617 parents of children (mean age of children, 6.8 years; 51.9% girls) who had lost at least one deciduous tooth received a self‐developed questionnaire; 1274 questionnaires were returned (35.2%). Main outcome measures: Primary outcome variables were the Tooth Fairy's visit after tooth loss and the amount of money given in case of a visit. Child‐ and parent‐related variables were assessed as predictors of the main outcomes. Results: Most parents (71.0%) reported that the Tooth Fairy visited their child. She usually exchanged the lost tooth for money (55.8% of visits) or placed money next to the tooth (40.7%); rarely did she take the tooth without pecuniary substitution. The Tooth Fairy left an average of 7.20 Swiss francs (approximately AU$9.45). The Tooth Fairy favoured visiting for the teeth of older children (odds ratio [OR], per year, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.09–3.21), of boys (OR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.09–6.42), and of children who believed in her (OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 1.77–9.64). The amount of money was influenced by maternal, but not paternal socio‐demographic factors, including level of education (OR, per level, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.66–0.92) and country of origin (OR, Western countries v non‐Western countries, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.20–4.62). Conclusions: The Tooth Fairy does not visit all children after tooth loss, displaying clear preferences in her choice of business partners. The odds of a visit are dramatically increased if she is believed in, and the value of a deciduous tooth is influenced by socio‐demographic factors.