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Home Reliability and validity of the Italian versions of the Children’s Fear Survey...

Reliability and validity of the Italian versions of the Children’s Fear Survey Schedule – Dental Subscale and the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale

Authors:

  • L. Paglia
    Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Italian Stomatologic Institute, Milan, Italy
  • S. Gallus
    Department of Environmental Health Sciences, IRCCS Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
  • S. de Giorgio
    Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Italian Stomatologic Institute, Milan, Italy
  • S. Cianetti
    Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, Unit of Paediatric Dentistry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
  • E. Lupatelli
    Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, Unit of Paediatric Dentistry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
  • G. Lombardo
    Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, Unit of Paediatric Dentistry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
  • A. Montedori
    Health Planning Service, Regional Health Authority of Umbria, Perugia, Italy
  • P. Eusebi
    Health Planning Service, Regional Health Authority of Umbria, Perugia, Italy
  • R. Gatto
    Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, Division of Implantology and Prosthetic Dentistry, Dental Clinic, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
  • S. Caruso
    Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, Division of Implantology and Prosthetic Dentistry, Dental Clinic, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23804/ejpd.2017.18.04.08

ABSTRACT


Aim

Children’s dental fear and anxiety (DFA) causes significant problems in clinical practice. The 15-item Children’s Fear Survey Schedule - Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) and the 8-item Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDAS) are the most widely used measures of dental fear in children. The aim of this study is to examine the reliability and validity of the Italian versions of the CFSS-DS and MCDAS, also in comparison with a simple visual analogue scale (VAS).

Methods

The CFSS-DS and MCDAS were translated into Italian by a consensus panel of experts and administered to 210 dental patients aged 4–11 years from three Italian Institutions. Internal reliability was assessed using the Cronbach’s alpha correlation. A sub-sample of 60 children was selected for test-retest analysis. CFSS-DS and MCDAS, plus a VAS scale, rated both by children and parents, were validated using as gold standard the 4-item Frankl scale for behaviours assessed by dentists.

Results

Mean CFSS-DS score was 30.8 (SD: 11.1) and mean MCDAS score was 17.9 (SD: 7.2), significantly higher among children aged 4-7 years and among children at their first dental visit. The alpha value for internal reliability was 0.90 (95%, CI= 0.88-0.92) for CFSS-DS and 0.87 (95% CI=0.85-0.90) for MCDAS. Both CFSS-DS and MCDAS showed good test-retest reliability (rsp= 0.80; p<0.001 for both scales). CFSS-DS and MCDAS predicted a Frankl score ≤2 (i.e., indicating children with an uncooperative behaviour) with a fair accuracy (AUC=0.69 and AUC=0.68, respectively). The VAS scale was more effective in predicting a negative behaviour (AUC=0.78). The scales self-reported by children were only slightly more accurate than those reported by parents.

Conclusion

The Italian versions of the CFSS-DS and MCDAS are valid and reliable tools for the assessment of dental fear in Italian children aged 4–11 years. A simple, one-item VAS, and dental fear and anxiety evaluation by parents may be valid and quick alternatives to multi-item indices to predict an uncooperative children behaviour.

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Publication date:

December /2017

Keywords:

children, children’s fear survey schedule - dental subscale, dental fear, italy, modified child dental anxiety scale, reliability, validaty

Issue:

Vol.18 – n.4/2017

Page:

305 – 312

Publisher:

Ariesdue

Cite:


Harvard: L. Paglia, S. Gallus, S. de Giorgio, S. Cianetti, E. Lupatelli, G. Lombardo, A. Montedori, P. Eusebi, R. Gatto, S. Caruso (2017) "Reliability and validity of the Italian versions of the Children’s Fear Survey Schedule - Dental Subscale and the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale", European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, 18(4), pp305-312. doi: 10.23804/ejpd.2017.18.04.08
Vancouver: L. Paglia, S. Gallus, S. de Giorgio, S. Cianetti, E. Lupatelli, G. Lombardo, A. Montedori, P. Eusebi, R. Gatto, S. Caruso. Reliability and validity of the Italian versions of the Children’s Fear Survey Schedule - Dental Subscale and the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale. European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry [Internet]. 2017Dec.1 [cited 2023Mar.23];18(4):305-312. Available from: https://www.ejpd.eu/abstract-pubmed/reliability-and-validity-of-the-italian-versions-of-the-childrens-fear-survey-schedule-dental-subscale-and-the-modified-child-dental-anxiety-scale/
MLA: L. Paglia, S. Gallus, S. de Giorgio, S. Cianetti, E. Lupatelli, G. Lombardo, A. Montedori, P. Eusebi, R. Gatto, S. Caruso Reliability and validity of the Italian versions of the Children’s Fear Survey Schedule - Dental Subscale and the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale. European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry. 2017;18(4):305-312

Copyright (c) 2021 Ariesdue

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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