Reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Dental Fear Survey

Validity and Reliability of the Vietnamese Version of the Dental Fear Survey

OBJECTIVES

The use of questionnaires to assess patients' dental fear is critical to dental research and practice. As one of the most well-established tools in this field, the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) was translated into Vietnamese (V-DFS) and employed in previous studies. However, its validity and reliability have not been reported. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of V-DFS in adults.

METHODS

The DFS was translated to Vietnamese in accordance with the "Guideline for the Process of Cross-cultural Adaptation of Self-reported Measures" to create the V-DFS. Next, 414 students at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine completed the V-DFS to examine its validity and reliability. The factorial validity of V-DFS was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the V-DFS were assessed using Cronbach's alpha (α), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient (r_s).

RESULTS

The rotated component matrix of the EFA revealed 3 factors: specific stimuli, anticipatory fear and avoidance, and physiologic arousal. The statistical indices of the best-fitting V-DFS model in SEM analysis satisfied the cutoff values. Cronbach's α ranged from .82 to .94 for the 3 factors. The ICC and r_s of the whole questionnaire were .86 and .86, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

DFS was successfully translated into Vietnamese with good validity and reliability. Further research should be conducted to examine its validity in various populations and to improve its characteristics.

Psychometric evaluation of the Lebanese Arabic version of the Dental Fear Survey: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Dental fear is a prevalent problem that can lead to poor dental health. The Kleinknecht's Dental Fear Survey (DFS) is one of the used scales to assess dental fear. The present study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Lebanese Arabic version of the DFS (DFS-A) and to determine the optimal cut-off to identify dental fear as well as the correlates of dental fear in a group of Lebanese adults dental patients.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among a group of 442 dental patients (18-65 years) recruited at 29 dental clinics from March to June 2019. Patients completed a questionnaire including questions about demographic characteristics, previous bad dental experience, trauma's experience period, the sensation of nausea during dental treatment, the DFS-A scale, the Lebanese Arabic version of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS-A), and a general question about dental fear.

RESULTS

DFS-A revealed evidence of adequate psychometric properties. DFS-A scale demonstrated high internal consistency (cronbach's alpha = 0.93). Test-retest reliability assessment demonstrated strong reproducibility of the DFS-A scale score (ICC = 0.92 with 95% CI (0.83-0.96), p value < 0.0001 (N = 30). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure of the DFS-A reflecting fear associated with specific dental stimuli and procedures, patterns of dental avoidance and anticipatory anxiety, and physiologic arousal during dental treatment. A significant correlation was found between DFS-A and the MDAS-A indicating a good convergent validity. The optimal cut-off point to identify patients with and without dental fear is 41. Considering this cut-off score, the prevalence of dental fear in our sample was reported at 33.8%. Multivariable analysis showed that having previous scary and painful dental experiences, a sensation of nausea during treatment, and having dental anxiety were identified as predictors of dental fear.

CONCLUSION

The adapted Arabic version of the DFS (DFS-A) is a valid tool to evaluate dental fear among Lebanese adult patients.

The Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale among Dental Outpatients

Introduction

A careful assessment of dental anxiety is necessary for its management. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) is one of the most commonly used questionnaires to measure dental anxiety in the world. The reliability and validity of the Japanese version of MDAS have been demonstrated using undergraduates and a few patients with dental anxiety. The aim of the present study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the MDAS using a wide range of age samples in dental clinics.

Methods

A total of 275 outpatients (145 men and 130 women; 21–87 years) from two dental clinics participated in the present study. Dental anxiety was assessed using the Japanese version of the MDAS and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS). The psychometric evaluation included exploratory factor analysis, and Cronbach's α was used to evaluate for internal consistency. Criterion validity was assessed by correlating the MDAS and DFS scores using Spearman's correlation coefficient. validity was evaluated by examining related factors' differences in the MDAS score (e.g., sex and negative dental experiences).

Results

Six patients (2.2%) reported high levels of dental anxiety (MDAS score ≥ 19). The internal consistency of the MDAS score was high (Cronbach's α = 0.88). Dental anxiety was significantly higher among women (P=0.007), in patients with previous negative dental experiences (P < 0.001), and among those with lower frequencies of dental visits (P < 0.001). The MDAS score was significant and related to age (r = 0.48) and the DFS score (r = 0.87). Factor analysis revealed all items measured only one construct.

Conclusions

The Japanese version of the MDAS score was found to be a reliable and valid measure of dental anxiety among dental outpatients. It could be useful for the Japanese dental practitioner to measure dental anxiety in a clinical setting.

Verification of the Korean Version of the Dental Fear Survey

Background

Although studies on dental fear in relation to sex and age have been conducted, there have been few nationwide studies particularly on the youth sector. In addition, no validity and reliability verifications have been implemented for new research groups on the Korean version of the Dental Fear Survey (K-DFS). Therefore, this study aimed to apply the K-DFS developed in a previous study on Korean youth to draw conclusions on dental fear among the youth.

Methods

This study used the K-DFS, a Korean translation of Kleinknecht's Dental Fear Survey for elementary school, middle school, and high school students. This study selected 2,161 young people of various ages as participants and increased the validity of the research results by expanding nationwide the scope of the study area.

Results

Differences in fear levels according to sex were higher in boys fear behavior scores than in girls' regarding dental treatment (P < 0.05). Students with dental fear had higher scores on items associated with dental treatment and fear of dental stimuli compared with students without dental fear (P < 0.05). Differences were observed among the three groups (P < 0.05). However, the results of logistic regression analysis showed no statistically significant differences for dental visits based on sex, grade, and other subcomponents (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

By verifying the validity of the newly developed K-DFS, this research confirmed its utility as a dental fear questionnaire. Therefore, there can be no objection that the grounds for criticism have been established according to conventional wisdom. In the future, however, developing and studying the limits of K-DFS that overcome the factors of dental fear, especially pain, will help reduce dental fear in adolescents.

The relationship between subjective oral health and dental fear in Korean adolescents

Background

This study is aimed to evaluate the level of fear and to reduce the overall fear, thereby enabling patients to receive treatment via timely visits.

Methods

In a survey conducted by 460 South Korean middle school students, we used 453 data that faithfully responded to the survey. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to investigate the factors influencing subjective oral health and dental fear. The significance level used for statistical significance was α = 0.05.

Results

The level of fear was higher for upper grade, female students. The factors affecting dental fear were higher for gingival bleeding and dental pain. Regarding factors for dental fear affecting subjective oral health, lower fear of puncture needle and tooth removal tool resulted in higher subjective oral health.

Conclusion

The study found that adolescents had higher fear of dental care when they had gingival bleeding and tooth pain. Gingival bleeding is a symptom of early gingival disease and dental pain is likely due to advanced dental caries. These results suggested that it is necessary to have a program to reduce dental fear and anxiety as well as a program to prevent dental diseases through regular periodic screening and education.