Abstract
Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) is one of the most popular psychological scales used for diagnosing odontophobia worldwide. Despite being used by Polish researchers, it has never been validated in the Polish population. Also, there are no similar tools that could be used by dentists for screening. The aim of this study was to validate and present the psychometric properties of the Dental Anxiety Scale adapted to Polish. The scale is a self-assessment tool designed to measure odontophobia and dental anxiety. The sample consisted of 162 adults. The adaptation to Polish of the DAS scale included a back-translation and a think-aloud study. The validation procedure incorporated 3 basic methods to be applied in the reliability analysis - the test-retest method, the statistical properties analysis of test items as well as a factor analysis. The general result of the responders was also compared to the anxiety-trait STAI scale and the neuroticism scale form IPIP-BMF-20. The Cronbach's α was 0.9. The solution obtained in the exploratory factor analysis was a one-factor model, explaining 76.24% of the variance of responses. The test-retest gave a strong correlation (rho = 0.69, p < 0.001). The correlations between the DAS score, the anxiety-trait STAI score and the neuroticism scale form IPIP-BMF-20 were moderate, as expected. The percent of responders with odontophobia and intense dental anxiety was almost similar to the results of other studies. The psychometric characteristics of the Polish adaptation of the DAS scale are similar to those reported in the original version. The results allow us to recommend the method for scientific research and patient screening. However, further analyses are necessary to assess if the scores indicating odontophobia and dental anxiety are similar in Poland and in the USA.
Highlights
The ability to both psychologically and physically adapt to the surrounding, ever-changing world is a prerequisite for the survival of every species
The percent of responders with odontophobia and intense dental anxiety was almost similar to the results of other studies
The psychometric characteristics of the Polish adaptation of the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) scale are similar to those reported in the original version
Summary
The ability to both psychologically and physically adapt to the surrounding, ever-changing world is a prerequisite for the survival of every species. One of the main defense mechanisms against threats is escape, which in the psychological sphere is reflected by the feeling of anxiety and fear. Functioning neurological centers of anxiety fulfill the evolutionary protective function and enable the individual to react adequately in order to avoid danger.[1]. Anxiety is defined as an unpleasant emotional state and is a physiological reaction to a stimulus being a potential threat. It accompanies every human being almost from the moment of birth. Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) is one of the most popular psychological scales used for diagnosing odontophobia worldwide. There are no similar tools that could be used by dentists for screening
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