engleski

Reliability and Validity of Scales for Assessing Child Dental Fear and Anxiety

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of two scales for the assessment of child dental fear and anxiety in a sample of Croatian children. Material and methods: The sample comprised 202 pairs consisting of children and their mothers (97 boys and 105 girls) aged 5 - 12 years. Two scales were used to assess children's DFA: the Children's Fear Survey Schedule - Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) and the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale - face version (MCDAS-f). The Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS) was used in the sample of children's mothers. The average scores of cooperative children and children with behavior management problem (BMP) were compared. Results: Cooperative children displayed significantly lower CFSS-DS scores than children with BMP (M = 28. 46 vs. M = 39. 36 ; P < 0.001). The average MCDAS-f score was significantly higher in children with BMP than in cooperative children (M = 28. 07 vs. 20. 01 ; P < 0.001). The CFSS-DS showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0. 90), while internal consistency of MCDAS-f was good (α = 0. 73). The maternal CDAS showed good internal consistency (α = 0, 89). The correlations with other self-report measurements of DFS show good validity of all scales. The correlations between CFSS-DS and MCDAS-f were highly significant (r = 0.482 ; P < 0. 01) as well as the correlations of CFSS-DS and MCDAS-f with CDAS scores (r = 0.223 ; P < 0. 01 and r = 0.198 ; P < 0. 01, respectively. Conclusion: The obtained results suggest that both the CFSS-DS scale and the MCDAS-f scale are reliable and valid scales for measuring dental fear and anxiety in children in a sample of Croatian children. The MCDAS-f scale has shown slightly lower internal consistency but it is suitable for use in young children. In addition, the MCDAS-f scale is simple to administer.

Child ; Dental Anxiety ; Fear ; Patient Health Questionnaire ; Validation Study.

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