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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Aim: To estimate the reliability and validity of the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and identify the prevalence and the effect of the socio-demographic
characteristics of dental anxiety, in a sample of 212 adults. Methods: The psychometric sensitivity of the scale was assessed. A confirmatory
factor analysis was performed, and the convergent validity and internal consistency were determined. The prevalence of anxiety was estimated,
and the effect of socio-demographic variables on anxiety was assessed using structural equation modelling. Results: The participants’ mean
age was 33.5 (SD = 15.6) years, and 62.3% were female. There was an adequate factorial adjustment of the scale in this sample. The
convergent validity and internal consistency were adequate in the one-factor model. Regarding two-factor model, there was a high correlation
(r) among the factors, which jeopardized the discriminant validity. A total of 47.6% of the participants (IC95% = 40.9 - 54.4) presented low
levels of anxiety, 32.5% (IC95% = 26.2 - 38.9) moderate levels, and 12.3% (IC95% = 7.8 - 16.7) exacerbated levels. There was a non-significant
effect of gender, age and education on the anxiety levels of this sample. Conclusion: We concluded that the one-factor model presented
better psychometric qualities, that anxiety was highly prevalent and there was no significant effect of the demographic variables on anxiety,
in this sample.
Description
Keywords
Dental anxiety Validation studies Prevalence
Citation
Psychology, Community & Health, 2, 19-27