Psychometric properties of Greek versions of the Modified Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS)

Background: A growing body of literature describes the performance of dental fear questionnaires in various countries. We describe the psychometric properties of Greek versions of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) in adult Greek patients. Methods: Greek versions of the MDAS and DFS were administered to two samples of adult dental patients. In the first sample, 195 patients attending one of three private practice dental offices in a large city in Greece completed the questionnaires in the waiting room before dental treatment. After treatment, their dentists (who did not know how the patients had answered the questionnaire) rated their anxiety during dental treatment. In the second sample, 41 patients attending a Greek university dental school clinic completed the questionnaire twice at two separate visits, in order to provide test-retest data. Cronbach's alpha was used to compute the internal consistencies, while Spearman's rho was used to compute the testretest reliabilities. Construct validity was assessed by correlating the responses to the MDAS and DFS by Spearman's rho. Spearman's rho was also used to examine the criterion validities, by comparing the questionnaire responses with the dentists' ratings of anxiety. Results: The internal consistencies for the MDAS were 0.90 and 0.92 in the two samples; for the DFS, the internal consistencies were 0.96 in both samples. The test-retest reliabilities were 0.94 for the MDAS and 0.95 for the DFS. The correlation between the two questionnaires was 0.89. The patients' responses to both questionnaires were significantly related to the dentists' ratings of their anxiety during dental treatment (both p values less than 0.001). Conclusion: The results indicate that the Greek versions of the MDAS and DFS have good internal consistencies and test-retest reliabilities, as well as good construct and criterion validities. The psychometric properties of the Greek versions of these questionnaires appear to be similar to those previously reported in other countries.This research was supported by NIH/NIDCR grant T32DE07132

Dysaesthesia in the mental nerve distribution triggered by a foreign body: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Foreign bodies' entrapments in the mandibular and submandibular regions are quite common. CASE PRESENTATION: We report an unusual case of foreign body (amalgam filling) entrapment over the mental foramen causing dysaesthesia in the distribution of the mental nerve. An interesting sign was blue discoloration of the overlaying oral mucosa which was interpreted as amalgam tattooing. CONCLUSION: Surgical removal of the foreign object eliminated the reported symptoms

Technology of Lasers and Their Applications in Oral Surgery: Literature Review

The word “Laser” is an acronym for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”. Recent advances in laser technology have brought a kind of revolution in dentistry. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of clinical application of lasers in oral medicine and especially in oral surgery, including their advantages, disadvantages and safety

Adults with Dental Erosion - Could This Be a Clinical Sign of Anorexia or Bulimia Nervosa? How is a Patient with Eating Disorders Approached?

Rhythms, requirements and standards of modern life have made the anxiety a common feature of most people. Along with stress, several other psychological problems increasingly appear and, unfortunately, critically affect young ages. 2 of the most common chronic mental disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Dentists are uniquely positioned because in their area of examination, signs of these diseases can be seen and then their symptoms can be discussed with patients. Nowadays, despite the fact that these diseases are on the rise, dentists do not know enough about them. Often, even if the knowledge is enough to diagnose the disease, they avoid doing it, because they try not to make their patients feel uncomfortable and lose them