Attitudes to dental hygienists: evaluation of the Dental Hygienist Beliefs Survey in a Swedish population of patients and students
Attitudes to dental hygienists: evaluation of the Dental Hygienist Beliefs Survey in a Swedish population of patients and students
Issue online:
24 Apr 2007
Dates: Accepted 8 January 2007
To cite this article: KH Abrahamsson, J Stenman, K hrn, M Hakeberg (2007)
Attitudes to dental hygienists: evaluation of the Dental Hygienist Beliefs Survey in a Swedish population of patients and students
International Journal of Dental Hygiene 5 (2), 95Ō102.
doi:10.1111/j.1601-5037.2007.00229.x
Blackwell Synergy
KH Abrahamsson, J Stenman, K hrn and M Hakeberg
Kajsa H. Abrahamsson, Jane Stenman, Department of Periodontology, Institute of Odontology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Gāteborg University, Gāteborg, Sweden
Kajsa H. Abrahamsson, VŦrdal Institute, Gāteborg University, Gāteborg, Sweden
Kerstin hrn, Department of Health and Social Sciences, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden
Magnus Hakeberg, School of Health Sciences, Jānkāping University, Jānkāping and Oral Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Odontology, The Sahlgrenska Akademy at Gāteborg University, Gāteborg, Sweden
Kajsa H. Abrahamsson
Department of Periodontology
Institute of Odontology
The Sahlgrenska Academy at Gāteborg University
Box 450 405 30 Gāteborg
Sweden
Tel.: +46 31 7733788
Fax: +46 31 77331791
E-mail: kajsa.henning.abrahamsson@odontologi.gu.se
Abstract
Abstract: Objectives:The aim was to evaluate and test the psychometric properties of the Dental Hygienist Beliefs Survey (DHBS) in a Swedish sample of different patient groups and students. It was hypothesized that negative dental hygienist beliefs would discriminate between fearful and non-fearful study groups. The DHBS was distributed together with the revised Dental Beliefs Survey (DBS-R) and the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). The study sample included 394 subjects (130 students, 144 general dental patients, 90 periodontal patients and 30 patients on a waiting list for dental fear treatment). The results verified that the DHBS discriminates well between dentally fearful and non-fearful study groups. The DHBS had high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.96−0.98) in all the groups. The correlation between the DHBS and the DBS-R was high (ρ = 0.82, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the DHBS correlated significantly with the DAS, as well as with a low but significant correlation to age (more negative attitudes in younger age groups) and gender (more negative attitudes amongst women). Regression analysis showed that gender and the DHBS items: 23, 16 and 28, i.e. items related to feeling helpless, worries/fears not being taken seriously and fear about Îbad newsĖ possibly preventing treatment, were the most important predictors of dental fear. The results suggest that the DHBS may be a valid and reliable scale to use in order to assess patient's specific attitudes to dental hygienists. However, the psychometric properties including testŌretest analysis and the underlying factor structure of the DHBS need to be further explored.
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