Reliability and clinical usefulness of psychometric measures in a self-referred population of odontophobics

Questionnaire responses of 155 self-referred subjects with extreme dental fear were used to evaluate the reliability and clinical usefulness of some psychometric tests used in diagnosis and treatment. The Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a general Geer Fear Scale (GFS) were filled out by all subjects, while 80 patients with highest dental fear scores were also tested before and after dental fear treatment with the following scales; a Getz Dental Belief Survey (DBS), Dental Fear Survey (DFS), and a Mood Adjective Checklist (MACL). Cronbach's alpha measured internal consistency reliability. SPSS data analyses calculated item-remainder and test-retest correlations. Clinical usefulness of scales was judged by Spearman correlations of initial scores and test score changes after dental fear treatment. All total test scores showed high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. DFS was judged the preferred clinical measure of threatening perceptions of pain or unpleasantness specific to dental procedures. DBS and STAI-State measured confidence in relating with the dentist and situational fear associated with that relationship. GFS, STAI-Trait, and MACL discriminated levels of general fearfulness, anxiety and mood fluctuations that can impact on dental fear.