title: Further evidence for the reliability and validity of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To gain further evidence of the psychometric properties of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dental admission clinics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive sampling, cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients (n = 800) in four cities (Belfast, Northern Ireland; Helsinki, Finland; Jyväskylä, Finland and Dubai, UAE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire booklet handed to patients, attending clinics, for completion following an invitation by the researcher to be included in the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), together with further questions concerning dental attendance and nervousness about dental procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall 9.3 per cent of patients indicated high dental anxiety. MDAS showed high levels of internal consistency, and good construct validity. The relationship of dental anxiety with age was similar to previous reports and showed lowered anxiety levels in older patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data from three countries has supported the psychometric properties of this modified and brief dental anxiety scale.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, Whelan Building, University of Liverpool, L69 3GB, UK. cpsy1@liverpool.ac.uk
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Humphris
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tuutti
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: D'Souza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008347:Manifest Anxiety Scale; D008875:Middle Aged; D009660:Northern Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014479:United Arab Emirates / Q000453:epidemiology