The effectiveness of psychometric schedules in measuring dental fear treatment outcome in children

Objectives: This study tries to assess the effectiveness of the DFSS-SF in measuring treatment outcome in children managed using psychological techniques. Methods: Seventy four children aged 8-13 years who were attending the dental clinic for the first time were recruited into the study. The Short Form of the Dental Subscale of the Child Fear Survey Schedule was administered to them before and after dental treatment. During the treatment procedure the children were managed with various forms of psychological management strategies. Results: Fear level in these children decreased significantly post treatment (p<0.001). However this observation was not reflected on the item by item analysis based on the various forms of treatment the children undertook. Conclusion: The DFSS-SF may be a good epidemiological tool but may not be effective in diagnosing and measuring treatment outcomes of dental fear in children. The same observation may be generalized to psychometric schedules which measure dental fear using summation of score results. Key Words: Dental fear, Children, Treatment, Schedules