A Cross-Sectional Study on Cognitive Vulnerability Patterns in Dental Anxiety: The Italian Validation of the Dental Fear Maintenance Questionnaire (DFMQ)

Roberta Gasparro, Federica Di Spirito, Mario Cangiano, Arianna De Benedictis, Pasquale Sammartino, Gilberto Sammartino (), Vincenzo Bochicchio, Nelson Mauro Maldonato and Cristiano Scandurra
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Roberta Gasparro: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Federica Di Spirito: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Mario Cangiano: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Arianna De Benedictis: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Pasquale Sammartino: Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Odontostomatological Specialties, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
Gilberto Sammartino: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Vincenzo Bochicchio: Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Nelson Mauro Maldonato: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Cristiano Scandurra: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: Dental anxiety is a crucial problem for dentistry because it may represent a significant risk to oral health. Within the framework of the Cognitive Vulnerability Model (CVM), which sheds light on the cognitive vulnerability patterns that may cause dental anxiety, this study aimed to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Italian version of the Dental Fear Maintenance Questionnaire (DFMQ). The DFMQ is a 32-item questionnaire that assesses four cognitive vulnerability patterns, i.e., dangerousness, disgust, unpredictability, and uncontrollability. In a sample of 200 dental patients who had accessed public-university-hospital dental surgery, this study assessed the model fit of the DFMQ and different types of validity (i.e., predictive, convergent, construct, and discriminant validity). In addition, potential differences between DFMQ dimensions were assessed based on gender (men vs. women) and age ranges. All indicators of cognitive vulnerability were significantly associated with high dental anxiety when each variable was included independently. In contrast, when the DFMQ subscales were considered together, only unpredictability and uncontrollability were found to be associated with high dental anxiety. Women had higher scores for unpredictability, uncontrollability, and general dangerousness than men. In addition, older patients had higher scores for some vulnerability cognitive patterns than younger patients. This study provides Italian dentists and researchers with a valid questionnaire to assess cognitive factors associated with dental anxiety.

Keywords: dental anxiety; cognition; perception; aged (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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