Translation and validation of modified dental anxiety scale based on adult Taiwan population

Abstract

Background Dental anxiety is associated with negative experiences of dental treatment and dental-visiting behavior. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) is widely used for assessing dental anxiety. The study aims to establish the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the MDAS based on the Taiwan sample (i.e., T-MDAS). Methods The T-MDAS and dental-visiting behavior and experience were assessed for 402 adult subjects recruited from community and clinical sites. The following psychometric properties were assessed: (a) internal consistency, (b) temporal stability, (c) criterion-related validity (i.e., the association with the score of Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear, IDAF-4C), (d) discrimination validity (i.e., the difference in scores between the subjects with and without a habit of a regular dental visit, and (e) the construct validity from a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results. The T-MDAS showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.88) and temporal stability (ρ = 0.69, p < 0.001). The score was significantly correlated with the score of the IDAF-4C (ρ = 0.76, p < 0.001) and differed between subjects who regularly visited a dentist or not, supporting good criterion-related validity and discrimination validity. Results from CFA supports good construct validity. Furthermore, higher dental anxiety was related to the lack of a regular dental visit, feeling pain during treatment, and feeling insufficient skills and empathy of dentists. A higher proportion of high-dental anxiety subjects in female subjects (8.5%), compared to male subjects (5.0%), was noted. Conclusions The T-MDAS is a valid tool for assessing adult dental anxiety. The score is highly associated with dental-visiting behavior and experience of dental patients.

The disparities of dental anxiety in adult dental patients: a sociodemographic and dental visit experience analysis

“…This finding is consistent with several earlier studies, indicating that patients who have had negative experiences related to dental treatments tend to be more anxious than those without such experiences, and this difference is significant. 42,43 Research by Lin et al, 43 underscored the strong link between dental anxiety and past negative experiences. Such experiences can result from various factors, including pain during treatment, a lack of empathy from dentists, and poor communication between dentists and patients.…”

Adverse childhood experiences and dental anxiety among Chinese adults in Hong Kong: a cross-sectional study

“…Dental anxiety was assessed by the MDAS ( Humphris et al, 1995 ) and its validated Chinese version ( Lin et al, 2021 ). The MDAS is a self-reported measure that consists of five hypothetical questions concerning feelings of specific dental-related situations: (1) treatment tomorrow; (2) waiting room; (3) tooth drilled; (4) teeth scaled and polished; and (5) local anesthetic injection.…”

“…A cut-off value of 19 and above was empirically determined as having a high level of dental anxiety ( Humphris et al, 1995 , 2009 ). MDAS has demonstrated high levels of internal consistency ( Humphris et al, 1995 , 2009 ; Lin et al, 2021 ).…”

Dental anxiety is related to postoperative symptoms in third molar surgery

“…Preoperative dental anxiety (exposure) was measured using a self-report questionnaire (Dental Anxiety Scale for Third Molar Surgery, DAS-TMS). DAS-TMS was developed specifically for mandibular third molar extraction and is based on the Chinese version of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale ( 22 , 23 ). There were four questions on this scale.…”