Prevalence of dental anxiety and the psychometric properties of modified dental anxiety scale in Nigeria

Abstract

Aim: This study focused on the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale to determine the prevalence of dental anxiety and assess the psychometric properties in Nigerian population. Materials and methods: Included in the study were 619 participants (204 males and 415 females) chosen conveniently from among the dental patients, students of post basic nursing and staff nurses, all from University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. The mean age was 31.34 (11.77) years. Participants completed a questionnaire containing the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale. Results: The prevalence of high dental anxiety was found to be 10.7% at the cut-off point ≥ 19. Cronbach's alpha for the present Nigerian sample was 0.80. Factor analysis revealed one factor with an eigenvalue greater than 2. This factor explained 55.9% of the variance of the items. In addition, the MDAS showed a significant difference between the genders, with the female (X =13.86;SD= 4.64) reporting higher dental anxiety score than the male (X =12.62; SD = 4.73). Conclusion: MDAS demonstrated satisfactory and acceptable psychometric properties. Therefore, dental surgeons, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and other therapists can use MDAS as an objective tool for detecting and possible management of high dental anxiety in Nigeria.