Validity of the Brazilian version of the Dental Subscale of Children's Fear Survey Schedule.

Abstract

Dental Subscale of Children's Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS) is a tool widely used to assess dental fear in children. To translate and to verify the psychometric properties, including factor analyses of the Brazilian version of the CFSS-DS (B-CFSS-DS) in two settings. The CFFS-DS was translated into the Portuguese language. In the first cross-sectional study (dental setting), 128 children (age: 4-12years) participated. Mothers were interviewed; children's dental fear was assessed through the CFSS-DS and the Venham picture test; and child behaviour was assessed using the Frankl Scale. The second was a longitudinal study, with 103 schoolchildren (age: 4-12years). Two receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn to establish the cut-off points. The B-CFSS-DS version showed good internal consistency in dental and school settings (Cronbach's α=0.88 and 0.77 respectively) and a good test-retest reliability (Weighted Kappa=0.767), as well as good criterion and discriminant validities. Factor analyses showed four factors. The Brazilian version of the CFSS-DS is a valid tool for dental fear assessment in children aged 4-12years. Further studies with representative samples should be performed to strengthen the findings of this study, especially in the school setting.