Further evidence for the reliability and validity of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale

Aim: To gain further evidence of the psychometric properties of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale. Setting: Dental admission clinics. Design: Consecutive sampling, cross-sectional survey. Participants: Patients (n=800) in four cities (Belfast, Northern Ireland; Helsinki, Finland; Jyvaskyla, Finland and Dubai, UAE). Methods: Questionnaire booklet handed to patients, attending clinics, for completion following an invitation by the researcher to be included in the study. Measures: Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), together with further questions concerning dental attendance and nervousness about dental procedures. Results: Overall 9.3 per cent of patients indicated high dental anxiety. MDAS showed high levels of internal consistency, and good construct validity. The relationship of dental anxiety with age was similar to previous reports and showed lowered anxiety levels in older patients. Conclusion: Data from three countries has supported the psychometric properties of this modified and brief dental anxiety scale.