Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers
Published on: March 14, 2018
Reliability and validity of a faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale
1Paediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Royal Group of Hospitals, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. Karen.Howard@royalhospitals.n-i.nhs.uk
Background:
A new version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDAS) was formed by adding a faces rating scale to the original numeric form.
Aims:
To describe the psychometric properties of the faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDAS(f)), and to provide normative data for dental anxiety for children using the MCDAS(f).
Design:
To determine the test-retest reliability, 287 schoolchildren aged 8-10 years completed the MCDAS(f) on two separate occasions 17 weeks apart. To determine the criterion validity, 207 schoolchildren aged 10-12 years completed the MCDAS(f) and the CFSS-DS at the same sitting. Construct validity was assessed using a cohort of 206 consecutive child dental patients and their parents.
Results:
The MCDAS(f) showed good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.80) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82). The MCDAS(f) significantly correlated with the CFSS-DS (r = 0.80, P < 0.001). Dental anxiety assessed using the MCDAS(f) was related to the dmft (t = -2.17, P = 0.03), DMFT (t = -4.19, P < 0.001), and dental general anaesthetic experience (t = -4.46, P < 0.01). The mean MCDAS(f) score for the normative sample (n = 475) was 19.81 (95% CI: 19.20, 20.43).
Conclusions:
The MCDAS(f) is a reliable and valid measure of dental anxiety in children aged 8-12 years.
