Is the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) a Single or Two Construct Measure? A Theoretical and Pragmatic Perspective.

The MDAS questionnaire is one of a number of scales available to assess dental anxiety. It is widely used and translated into many world languages; however, it lacks an explicit theoretical backdrop to the content and structure of the measure. This paper draws upon original expositions of dental anxiety: how it develops, is maintained, and how this draws attention to a re-evaluation of the measure.

On-line preparatory information for children and their families undergoing dental extractions under general anesthesia: A phase III randomized controlled trial.

Background: Family-centered interactive on-line games are increasingly popular in healthcare, but their effectiveness for preoperative preparation needs further research. www.scottga.

Need of minimal important difference for oral health-related quality of life measures.

Demand and use for oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) instruments have increased in recent years in both research and clinical settings. These instruments can be used to measure patient's health status or detect changes in a patient's health status in response to an intervention or changes in disease trajectory. Ensuring universal acceptance of these measures requires easy interpretation of its scores for clinicians, researchers, and patients.

An exploratory study into whether self-monitoring improves adherence to daily flossing among dental patients.

Objectives: This exploratory study evaluated the effectiveness of an action-control behavioral intervention on adherence to dental flossing in patients with periodontal disease. Action control, that is, monitoring one's behavior and evaluating it against a self-set standard, has been suggested as a self-regulatory strategy that can assist people who intend to engage in behavioral change.

Methods: In a single-center, single-blind prospective trial, 73 dental patients received a behavioral intervention, which was either matched or mismatched to their stage of behavioral change.