Reliability and validity of the Greek version of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule–Dental Subscale

Abstract

The Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) is a commonly used questionnaire which measures children's dental fear. The aim of this study was to gather data to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Greek version of the CFSS-DS. A sample of 260 children aged 4-12 completed the Greek version of the CFSS-DS while in the waiting room of a paediatric dentist. The dentist, who was unaware of the children's scores, rated the children's behaviour during the dental appointment using the Frankl scale. Children who returned for a second dental appointment during the study period completed the CFSS-DS a second time. The mean CFSS-DS score was 24.80 (standard deviation = 9.17). Age and gender were not related to mean scores. Invasiveness of dental treatment was not related to mean scores. Children who were most uncooperative/fearful on the Frankl had the highest mean scores (Kruskal-Wallis chi2 = 9.48; d.f. = 2; P = 0.009). The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.85, and the test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation) was 0.74. The Greek version of the CFSS-DS appears to be reliable and valid. Further samples should include school samples, to include children who may not go to the dentist.