The Italian Validation of the Level of Exposure-Dental Experiences Questionnaire

Cristiano Scandurra,Roberta Gasparro,Pasquale Dolce,Vincenzo Bochicchio,Gilberto Sammartino,Gianrico Spagnuolo,Benedetta Muzii,Nelson Mauro Maldonato,Gaetano Marenzi

doi:10.3390/app10031143

Cristiano Scandurra, Roberta Gasparro + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app10031143

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Abstract

The aim of this monocentric cross-sectional study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Italian version of the Level of Exposure-Dental Experiences Questionnaire (LOE-DEQ) in an Italian sample of 253 dental patients ranging from 18–80 years of age. The LOE-DEQ assesses 16 potential dental distressing experiences and 7 general traumatic life events through 4 subscales: (1) dentists’ behaviour and patients’ emotions (DBPE); (2) distressing dental procedures (DDP); (3) other distressing dental events (ODDE); and (4) general traumatic events (GTE). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original 4-factor model had adequate fit to the data obtained from the Italian sample. Criterion validity was partially confirmed as only DBPE and DDP positively correlated with dental anxiety. Similarly, convergent validity was also partially confirmed as DBPE, DDP, and ODDE correlated with negative beliefs towards the dentist and the dental treatment. Discriminant validity was fully confirmed, as all correlations were below 0.60. Finally, DDP was the factor most associated with high dental anxiety. This study offers evidence of the reliability and validity of the LOE-DEQ in the Italian context, providing Italian researchers and dentists with a tool to assess dental and general distressing experiences in dental patients.

Highlights

Dental anxiety can be defined as an aversive emotional state of worry or apprehension in anticipation of dental treatment [1] and can have serious repercussions on oral health, representing a significant barrier to the access to dental care [2,3]
A high percentage (28.7%) of the sample was above the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) threshold (≥19), the cut-off to detect the presence of high dental anxiety
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first measure of the impact of distressing dental events available for use in the Italian context, providing Italian researchers and dentists with a valuable instrument to assess this dimension in the Italian population

Summary

Introduction

Dental anxiety can be defined as an aversive emotional state of worry or apprehension in anticipation of dental treatment [1] and can have serious repercussions on oral health, representing a significant barrier to the access to dental care [2,3]. In terms of high dental anxiety, research has shown a prevalence ranging from 10% to 20% of adults in Western societies [4,5]. Within a multifactorial etiology model, Willumsen et al [6] reported that previous negative dental experiences (e.g., painful experiences in the dental field) play a fundamental role in the development of dental anxiety. To this end, de Jongh et al [7] found that individuals with high dental anxiety were more likely to report higher rates of traumatic dental experiences than those with lower dental anxiety (73% vs 21%) De Jongh et al [7] found that individuals with high dental anxiety were more likely to report higher rates of traumatic dental experiences than those with lower dental anxiety (73% vs. 21%)

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