TY - JOUR
T1 - Does completing a dental anxiety questionnaire increase anxiety? A randomised controlled trial with adults in general dental practice
AU - Humphris, G M
AU - Freeman, R
AU - Clarke, H M M
PY - 2006/7/8
Y1 - 2006/7/8
N2 - The assessment of dental anxiety can be achieved by using brief multi-item scales. Objective: To test the null hypothesis that completing the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale had no immediate influence on patient state anxiety. Outcome measure: Speilberger State Anxiety Inventory-6 item Short Form.Study design: Randomised controlled trial. Participants: Patients (n = 1,028) attending 18 dental practices in Northern Ireland were invited to participate. Results: Twenty-four patients refused (response rate 98%) providing 1,004 patients (mean age = 41 years, range = 16 to 90 years; 65% female) for analysis. Patients who completed the dental anxiety scale were found to have a virtually identical state anxiety score: mean (SD) = 11.36 (4.33) compared to those who completed the state anxiety assessment only: mean (SD) = 11.01 (4.35). The mean (CI95%) difference was 0.35 (0.89 to -0.18), t = 1.29, df1002, p = 0.2. Conclusion: The completion of a brief dental anxiety questionnaire before seeing the dentist has a non significant effect on state anxiety.
AB - The assessment of dental anxiety can be achieved by using brief multi-item scales. Objective: To test the null hypothesis that completing the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale had no immediate influence on patient state anxiety. Outcome measure: Speilberger State Anxiety Inventory-6 item Short Form.Study design: Randomised controlled trial. Participants: Patients (n = 1,028) attending 18 dental practices in Northern Ireland were invited to participate. Results: Twenty-four patients refused (response rate 98%) providing 1,004 patients (mean age = 41 years, range = 16 to 90 years; 65% female) for analysis. Patients who completed the dental anxiety scale were found to have a virtually identical state anxiety score: mean (SD) = 11.36 (4.33) compared to those who completed the state anxiety assessment only: mean (SD) = 11.01 (4.35). The mean (CI95%) difference was 0.35 (0.89 to -0.18), t = 1.29, df1002, p = 0.2. Conclusion: The completion of a brief dental anxiety questionnaire before seeing the dentist has a non significant effect on state anxiety.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33745906793&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/sj.bdj.4813772
DO - 10.1038/sj.bdj.4813772
M3 - Article
C2 - 16829885
AN - SCOPUS:33745906793
VL - 201
SP - 33
EP - 35
JO - British Dental Journal
JF - British Dental Journal
SN - 0007-0610
IS - 1
ER -