• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2015

Background: Many people experience varying levels of discomfort when confronted with the prospect of dental treatment. Dental treatment can be a traumatic experience, especially for children and adolescents with dental anxiety. In this age group, dental fear causes a significant problem in dental management and has been related to severe dental caries and dental pain. The Dental Fear Survey (DFS) is the most widely used measure of dental fear. This study was undertaken to develop the Korean version of the DFS (K-DFS) and test its reliability and validity. Methods: The K-DFS, which uses projective techniques to measure children's and adolescents' dental fear, was developed. The DFS was translated into Korean and participants were selected via convenience sampling. Reliability and validity were tested using data from a sample of 813 middle school students in Gyeonggi Province, selected from the Self questionnaire survey. The K-DFS was administered twice to 102 adolescents aged 12-15 years. Results: The K-DFS had high internal consistency reliability (99.1%) but low test-retest reliability. Conclusions: The results indicate that the Korean versions of the DFS have good internal consistency reliabilities and test-retest validities. However, we need to further examine the test-retest reliability of the K-DFS and replicate the current study in different samples covering various age groups.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.361-367
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• 2019

Background: Although studies on dental fear in relation to sex and age have been conducted, there have been few nationwide studies particularly on the youth sector. In addition, no validity and reliability verifications have been implemented for new research groups on the Korean version of the Dental Fear Survey (K-DFS). Therefore, this study aimed to apply the K-DFS developed in a previous study on Korean youth to draw conclusions on dental fear among the youth. Methods: This study used the K-DFS, a Korean translation of Kleinknecht's Dental Fear Survey for elementary school, middle school, and high school students. This study selected 2,161 young people of various ages as participants and increased the validity of the research results by expanding nationwide the scope of the study area. Results: Differences in fear levels according to sex were higher in boys fear behavior scores than in girls' regarding dental treatment (P < 0.05). Students with dental fear had higher scores on items associated with dental treatment and fear of dental stimuli compared with students without dental fear (P < 0.05). Differences were observed among the three groups (P < 0.05). However, the results of logistic regression analysis showed no statistically significant differences for dental visits based on sex, grade, and other subcomponents (P > 0.05). Conclusion: By verifying the validity of the newly developed K-DFS, this research confirmed its utility as a dental fear questionnaire. Therefore, there can be no objection that the grounds for criticism have been established according to conventional wisdom. In the future, however, developing and studying the limits of K-DFS that overcome the factors of dental fear, especially pain, will help reduce dental fear in adolescents.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.350-361
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to find general trends in dental fear among adolescences at 15-17 years of age, differences in levels of dental fear according to relevant variables, and the degrees to which those variables influence fear of dental treatment and their causal relationships. The researcher made use of a questionnaire including tools of questionnaire survey DFS, DBS and questions regarding characteristics of adolescences, and then analyzed covariate structure modeling by using LISREL 8.12 after conducting univariate analysis by employing SPSS. Cronbach's reliability coefficients showed higher in DFS(0.957), DBS(0.916), and GFS(0.910). The more recent experience in pain in the oral cavity and the stronger pain when treating dental disease and the more frequent experience in pain when treating dental disease and also the more broken dental appointments, the higher levels of dental fear showed with statistical significance. The linear structure equation model was statistically appropriate and well fit. By the model, severity and frequency of pain during treatment, experience of breaking dental visit appointment, distrust for dentists and general fear were directly influenced on dental fear.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.251-259
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of the study was to investigate the overall research trend and change in dental fear during 9 years(2004-2012) and to identify the major outcomes and future directions to research. Methods : Descriptive literature review was conducted for dental fear in Korea. The research setting should be elementary, middle, high schools and adults. Results : In this study, the literature review of the most used tools to measure fear was that DFS. The most commonly used instrument was Dental Fear Survey(DFS) in the literature review. The number of dacayed tooth was proportional to subjective fear and anxiety. The indirect experience of dental pain was heard from family and friends. So the fear caused the patients to have negative bias toward dental treatment. The negative reliability towards the dentist increased the dental fear to the patients. Conclusions : Through the literature review, dental hygienists are able to understand the dental fear of the patients.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.369-376
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• 2015

The purposes of this study were to assess dental fear and anxiety level of patients attending a dental clinic using the dental fear survey (DFS) scale, to apply interventions chosen by patients for reducing dental fear and anxiety and measure their effects. This study surveyed 34 patients who visited a dental clinic in Seoul about their self-rated health and their experience of dental fear, and measured the level of dental fear using DFS. Trained dental hygienists applied interventions desired by the patients for reducing dental fear and anxiety and, for each intervention, examined the patients' satisfaction (very helpful [5 point]~not helpful at all [1 point]). Collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 21.0 through independent t-test or one-way ANOVA for difference in level of fear according to related characteristics, and through Wilcoxon signed rank test for comparison between before and after the intervention. The subjects' mean level of fear (DFS score) was 44.53, which was an average level, and the level of dental fear was relatively high for stimulus-response (2.72). The level of dental fear was higher in those who had experienced pains or indirect dental fear from dental treatment in the past, and those whose subjectively perceived health state was poor (p<0.05). With regard to the applied dental fear intervention, 'Helpful (3.57)' was the most common answer. Overall satisfaction before and after the application of dental fear intervention was generally high as 4.37 and 4.35, respectively, but it decreased slightly after the intervention. In order to lower the level of dental fear, it is considered effective to survey not only the level of dental fear but also patients' need of dental fear interventions and to apply a suitable intervention. It is also required to educate dental workers and to develop related manuals.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.539-543
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• 2009

This study lays its purpose on finding general trends in dental fear among adolescences at 15~17 years of age, differences in levels of dental fear according to temperament, and their causal relationships. The researcher made use of a questionnaire including tools questionnaire of survey - DFS, EAS - and then analyzed covariate structure modeling by using LISREL 8.12 after conducting univariate analysis by employing SPSS. Cronbach's reliability coefficients showed higher in DFS(0.957), EAS(0.916), and GFS (0.910), and females rather than males showed higher levels of dental fear, and of types of traits, trait III showed lower levels of dental fear than the others, and also the less perceived dental health status and the more recent experience in pain when treating dental disease and also the more broken dental appointments, the higher levels of dental fear showed with statistical significance. In addition, there showed a positive correlation between fear of dental treatment, a distrust of dentists, and a general feeling of fear.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2019

Objective: Dental fear is a feeling of anxiety and fear without intervention during a dental visit, mainly due to past negative dental treatment experiences, and in adults, despite the recognition of the need for dental treatment, it can lead to avoidance of dental treatment, which may cause deterioration of oral health. Therefore, this study was conducted to measure dental fear and anxiety level in some adults, and to identify related factors and their causes. Methods: This study used Kleinknecht's Dental Fear Survey scale and the SPSS 21 program (IBM SPSS Statistics 21) was used for analysis. Result: When the dental fear was the higher, the "access to the dental clinic" was found to be the highest, followed by "sitting in dental unit chair" and "smell of dental clinic" in that order. Conclusions: Dentists and dental hygienists should be able to understand the fear, anxiety, and concerns of the dentist office and to find various ways to provide systematic medical services.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.198-204
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• 2016

This research studied the relevance of oral symptoms and fear to find solutions for prevention and treatment at the right time. The study was conducted over a three-month period from September to November 2015. College students who lived in the region of Busan were surveyed, and the data from 288 respondents were analyzed. The female students felt a higher level of fear in every item than the males. To be specific, there were statistically significant differences in postponing the appointment (p=0.014), tension during treatment (p=0.001), dread when making the appointment (p=0.001), dread upon arrival (p=0.001), dread in the waiting room (p=0.001), dread of dental smells (p=0.006), dread while undergoing anesthesia (p<0.001), dread when receiving an injection (p<0.001), dread when looking at a tool for tooth preparation (p<0.001), dread of the sound of a tool for tooth preparation (p<0.001), dread of the feelings of tooth preparation (p<0.001), dread during scaling(p<0.001), and apprehension about the entire treatment (p<0.001). Concerning the fear level according to oral symptom awareness, the respondents with dental caries experienced a higher level of fear in terms of treatment avoidance (p=0.001), physiological reactions (p=0.001) and overall Dental Fear Survey (DFS)(p=0.003), and the students whose teeth were broken had a higher level of fear in terms of treatment avoidance (p=0.010), stimulus factors (p=0.031) and overall DFS (P=0.019). The students who had a missing tooth felt a higher level of fear in terms of physiological reactions (p=0.019) and overall DFS (p=0.033), and the respondents with gingival pain felt a higher level of pain in terms of the stimulus factors (p=0.013) and overall DFS (p=0.034). Therefore, college students should be educated to visit a dental clinic when they are aware of any oral symptom, and methods to reduce the stimulus factors as much as possible should be considered carefully to relieve dental fear.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.193-196
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• 2007

From April 9th to May 4th 2007, making a random selection of three private dental clinics in Busan, this study investigated the fear for dental treatment for 178 adults over twenty. Using four items of General Characteristics and DFS of twenty items, the degree of fear for dental treatment was evaluated by self administrated questionnaire. The obtained results were as follows. 1. Reliability analysis of each factor in details was 0.662~0.921 in Cronbach' alpha Coefficients. For Cronbach' alpha Coefficients was over 0.6. Dental Fear Survey Scale was reliable. 2. Dental stimulus response scale of three factors appeared more fear than two factors of the rest. The fear for dental treatment was higher in wemen, older ages, high education level and high income. 3. Factor of dental stimulus response scale, avoidance of dentistry and physiologic response scale accounted for 66.1%($R^2=66.1$)of the variation in dental fear factor as a result from stepwise regression analysis.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.141-151
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• 2012

In this study a survey was conducted of a total of 187 insurance sales workers from 10 branches of S Insurance Company located around Korea to gather information on causes of dental fear. Results revealed that the group who had experienced direct dental pain in the past showed higher fear levels than the group without such experience. With respect to indirect dental pain, the group with such experience showed higher fear levels in 'fear of dental appointments' and 'fear of antiseptic smells than the group without such experience. Concerning gender, higher fear levels were observed among females than among males. It was also found that the majority of the respondents seldom go for a regular dental check-up regardless of whether they had experienced direct or indirect pain during dental treatment. In addition, there was positive correlation among all the items in the Dental Fear Survey Scale at a significance level of 0.1%. Twenty of all the DFS items were found to be related to causes of dental fear, meaning that most of the elements involving the dentistry may contribute to the development of dental fear among dentally fearful people.