Bahammam Maha A, Hassan Mona H
Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80209, Jeddah 21589, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Fax. +966 (12) 6403316. E-mail.
Saudi Med J. 2014 Nov;35(11):1384-9.
To test the reliability and validity of an Arabic version of the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS), and to correlate it with other demographic data.
The original English version of the MDAS was translated into Arabic, and then translated back into English by experienced bilingual professionals. Four hundred and seventy-four patients referred to dental clinics for treatment at the Faculty of Dentistry Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from November 2012 to June 2013 participated in the study. The assessment tool included questions regarding demographic characteristics, frequency of dental visits, the Arabic version of the MDAS, and the patient's rating of their current level of anxiety using a visual analogue scale (VAS).
The Arabic version of the MDAS had excellent internal consistency and reliability (Alpha coefficients >0.90). The scale was unidimensional, and the percentage of patients with dental anxiety was 48.3% (using a cutoff total score of >15) and with dental phobia was 2.5% (using a cutoff total score of >16). Younger patients, females, and infrequent visitors to the dentist were more anxious than those who were older, male, and frequent visitors. Visual analogue scale scores correlated significantly with individual items on the MDAS questionnaire and total anxiety score, supporting the criterion validity.
The Arabic version of the MDAS presented adequate internal consistency reliability, allowing its safe use to assess levels of dental anxiety in Arabic-speaking populations.
测试改良牙科焦虑量表（MDAS）阿拉伯语版本的信度和效度，并将其与其他人口统计学数据进行关联。
MDAS的原始英文版被翻译成阿拉伯语，然后由经验丰富的双语专业人员再翻译回英语。2012年11月至2013年6月期间，沙特阿拉伯王国吉达市牙科学院医院牙科诊所转诊接受治疗的474名患者参与了该研究。评估工具包括有关人口统计学特征、看牙频率、MDAS阿拉伯语版本以及患者使用视觉模拟量表（VAS）对其当前焦虑水平进行评分的问题。
MDAS阿拉伯语版本具有出色的内部一致性和信度（阿尔法系数>0.90）。该量表是单维的，牙科焦虑患者的比例为48.3%（使用总分>15的临界值），牙科恐惧症患者的比例为2.5%（使用总分>16的临界值）。年轻患者、女性以及看牙不频繁的患者比年龄较大、男性以及看牙频繁的患者更焦虑。视觉模拟量表得分与MDAS问卷中的各个项目以及总焦虑得分显著相关，支持了效标效度。
MDAS阿拉伯语版本呈现出足够的内部一致性信度，可安全用于评估阿拉伯语人群的牙科焦虑水平。
