Psychometric properties of Greek versions of the Modified Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS)
2008

Greek Versions of Dental Anxiety Scales

Sample size: 195 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Coolidge T, Arapostathis Konstantinos Nikolaos, Emmanouil Dimitris, Dabarakis Nikolaos, Patrikiou Antonis, Economides Nikolaos, Kotsanos Nikolaos

Primary Institution: University of Washington, Seattle, USA

Hypothesis

The Greek versions of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) will demonstrate good psychometric properties.

Conclusion

The Greek versions of the MDAS and DFS have good internal consistencies and test-retest reliabilities, indicating they are valid measures of dental fear.

Supporting Evidence

  • The internal consistencies for the MDAS were 0.90 and 0.92 in the two samples.
  • The test-retest reliabilities were 0.94 for the MDAS and 0.95 for the DFS.
  • The correlation between the two questionnaires was 0.89.

Takeaway

This study created Greek versions of two questionnaires to help dentists understand how scared their patients are of dental work.

Methodology

Two samples of adult dental patients completed the MDAS and DFS questionnaires, with one group providing test-retest data.

Limitations

The study had a 50% attrition rate for the test-retest sample, which may affect the reliability of the results.

Participant Demographics

Mean age was 40.3 years, with 51.4% male in the first sample and 48.1% male in the second sample.

Statistical Information

P-Value

<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6831-8-29

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