Psychometric Properties of the Hebrew Modified Dental Anxiety Scale in Adult Israeli Population

Maayan Shacham, Lee Greenblatt-Kimron, Gerry Humphris, Menachem Ben-Ezra and Eitan Mijiritsky
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Maayan Shacham: School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Lee Greenblatt-Kimron: School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Gerry Humphris: Medical School, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9AJ, UK
Menachem Ben-Ezra: School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Eitan Mijiritsky: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv 6139001, Israel

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-9

Abstract: Dental anxiety results in the neglect of oral hygiene and poor oral health, requiring an accurate screening tool for dental practitioners to evaluate dental anxiety. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) is frequently used cross-culturally. The present study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Hebrew version of the MDSA. A total of 553 (mean age 35.87 years, SD = 13.14) Israeli participants were recruited through means of social media, mailing lists, and forums. The sample was randomly divided into two population sets. Dental anxiety was evaluated using the Hebrew version of the MDAS. The psychometric evaluation consisted of exploratory factor analysis (study 1, n = 274) and confirmatory factor analysis (study 2, n = 279). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to assess internal consistency. Results showed high internal consistency (0.93) for the Hebrew version of the MDAS. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a single factor solution. Findings demonstrated 13.4% of Israeli participants with dental anxiety. Younger participants, females, participants with lower education, lower income, and more religious participants reported higher dental anxiety. In conclusion, the Hebrew version of the MDAS demonstrated high reliability and validity. It is recommended to use the Hebrew version of the MDAS to evaluate dental anxiety in Israeli dental settings.

Keywords: dental anxiety; anxiety; specific phobia; modified dental anxiety scale; MDAS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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