Corah developed a simple scale for evaluation of anxiety associated with a dental visit. This can help identify patients who may otherwise avoid dental care and who may need assistance in dental hygiene. The author is from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
The instrument consists of 4 statements, each with responses ranging from relaxed (scored 1 point) to marked anxiety (scored 5 points).
where:
• "Very anxious" = so anxious that I sometimes break out in a sweat or almost feel physically sick.
• Anyone who would look forward as a visit to the dentist as being an enjoyable experience (statement 1) might bear watching.
dental anxiety scale =
= SUM(points for all 4 questions)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximums score: 20
• The higher the score, the greater the expressed anxiety.
Score
Evaluation
13 – 14
probably anxious
>= 15
highly anxious
>= 17
dental phobia
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