Dental beliefs: evaluation of the Swedish version of the revised Dental Beliefs Survey in different patient groups and in a non‐clinical student sample

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate and to test the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the revised Dental Beliefs Survey (DBS-R) in different patient groups and in a non-clinical sample of students. It was hypothesized that negative dental beliefs, assessed using the DBS-R, would discriminate between fearful and non-fearful study groups. The questionnaire was distributed together with the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). The sample included 550 adults who responded to the questionnaires (206 students, 177 general dental patients, 105 periodontal patients and 62 patients at a waiting list for dental-fear treatment). The internal drop-out rate was low. The results confirmed that the DBS-R discriminates well between fearful patients and the other study groups. The DBS-R had a high internal consistency in all the study groups. Furthermore, the DBS-R correlated significantly with age (higher values in younger age groups) and the DAS. Regression analyses showed that the DBS-R subdimensions of 'communication' and 'control'/or 'trust', respectively, were significant predictors for dental fear. The results suggest that the DBS-R is a reliable and valid instrument for use in different Swedish patient- and non-clinical population groups in order to assess attitudes to dentists. However, the underlying factor structure of the DBS-R needs to be further explored and established.

Experiences of Dental Care and Dental Anxiety in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…The group with ASD emphasized different aspects of dental anxiety than the control group. Although the three highest ranked items “When a dentist seems in a hurry I worry that I am not getting good care,” “Once I am in the chair I feel helpless,” and “When I am in the chair I do not feel like I can stop the appointment for a rest if I feel in the need” were identically ranked in the ASD and control groups, consistent with rankings in an earlier report [24], the items ranked as fourth, fifth, and sixth differed between the groups. These next three ranked items “Dentists often seem in a hurry, so I feel rushed,” “I worry if the dentist is technically competent and is doing quality work,” and “I am concerned that dentists might not be skilled enough to deal with my fear or my dental problems” were only ranked as numbers 16, 23, and 16 in the controls.…”

“…The control group scored lower than a comparative group of non-ASD Swedish patients, (mean DAS scores 8.0 and DBS-R scores 42.0) [24]. However, our ASD group reported higher scores, and the differences between the groups were marked when mean item scores were calculated: in the ASD group the mean DAS score was 1.8, in our control group 1.2 and in the Abrahamsson sample 1.5 [24]. The relatively low DAS scores in the control group could partly be due to the fact that they were familiar with their dentists, which may have reduced the anxiety level.…”

“…The instrument consists of 28 items with a 5-point Likert scale and a sum of score ranging from 28 to 140. The DBS-R has been found to be a reliable and valid instrument for use in various Swedish patient and nonclinical population groups to assess attitudes to dentists and dental care [24]. DBS-R scores with a mean of 42 in ordinary patients and 88 among fearful dental patients have been reported [24].…”

One- vs. five-session treatment of dental phobia: A randomized controlled study

“…Twenty-eight items rated on a 5-point Likert scale yield sum scores from 28 to 140. It has been psychometrically evaluated in a Swedish clinical sample (Abrahamsson, Hakeberg, Stenman, & Ohm, 2006).…”

Additional psychometric data for the Spanish Modified Dental Anxiety Scale, and psychometric data for a Spanish version of the Revised Dental Beliefs Survey

“…Typical items include: "I am concerned that dentists recommend work that is not really needed", "Dental professionals say things to make me feel guilty about the way I care for my teeth", "I believe that dentists don't have enough empathy for what it is really like to be a patient", and "Once I am in the chair I feel helpless (that things are out of my control)". The R-DBS has been shown to have good reliability and validity in several samples [24-28]. Among the methods used to assess the validity of the DBS, previous authors have reported moderate correlations between the DBS and the DAS [29], and somewhat higher correlations between the DBS and DFS [30].…”