Assessment of the clinical validity of a simple scale for rating children's dental anxiety.

This study was carried out to assess the Simple Scale's (using a 100-mm horizontal line between the poles of 'Low Anxiety--High Anxiety') clinical validity with an instrument of known reliability and validity (namely Spielberger's STAIC), with a Child's Dental Anxiety Scale, and with responses to a short Fear Statement questionnaire. By scoring episodes of 36 children undergoing dental treatment and then obtaining their self-reports, the Simple Scale was found to correlate significantly with the A-State score from the STAIC. Other significant correlations were found.