The dental subscale of the children's fear survey schedule: predictive value and clinical usefulness

This study reports on the predictive value and clinical usefulness of the Dutch parental version of the Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS). Parents of 718 children (aged 4-12 yrs) completed this CFSS-DS version before or during the child's visit. The dentist rated the child's dental fear during treatment on a 5-point Likert-type Scale from 1 (not afraid at all) to 5 (very afraid). Reliability analysis was performed, and correlation coefficients between the two measures were calculated. The reliability of the scale proved to be high (Cronbach's alpha=.93) and significant correlation coefficients were found. The negative predictive value of the CFSS-DS was high (.96), whereas its positive predictive value was relatively low (0.41). It was concluded that the CFSS-DS might be of clinical value as a screening device of dental fear, whereas its predictive value of fearful behavior should not be overestimated.