Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

BACKGROUND: Existing measures of children's dental anxiety have not been developed with children or based on a theoretical framework of dental anxiety. AIM: To develop the children's experiences of dental anxiety measure (CEDAM) and evaluate the measure's properties. DESIGN: The measure was developed from interviews with dentally anxious children. Children recruited from a dental hospital and secondary school completed the CEDAM and Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDAS). A subgroup of children completed the CEDAM before and after receiving an intervention to reduce dental anxiety to examine the measure's responsiveness. Rasch and Classical test analyses were undertaken. RESULTS: Children were aged between 9 and 16 years (N = 88 recruited from a dental hospital and N = 159 recruited from a school). Rasch analysis confirmed the measure's unidimensionality. The CEDAM correlated well with the MCDAS (rho = 0.67, P < 0.01) and had excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.98). The CEDAM was also able to detect changes in dental anxiety following the intervention (baseline mean = 22.36, SD = 2.57 and follow-up mean = 18.88, SD = 2.42, t(df = 37) = 9.54, P < 0.01, Cohen's d = 1.39). CONCLUSIONS: The results support the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the CEDAM. Initial findings indicate it has potential for use in future intervention trials or in clinical practice to monitor children's dental anxiety.

Original publication

DOI

10.1111/ipd.12315

Type

Journal article

Journal

Int J Paediatr Dent

Publication Date

03/2018

Volume

28

Pages

140 - 151

Keywords

Adolescent, Child, Dental Anxiety, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Psychology, Child, Reproducibility of Results, Surveys and Questionnaires