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Humphris GM, Dyer TA et al. BMC Oral Health 2009; 9: 20 doi:10.1186/1472-6831-9-20

The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) is a concise self-complete questionnaire that can be used to screen for dental anxiety. It comprises five questions only. The aims of this study were 1) to confirm the measurement properties of MDAS, 2) to establish the prevalence of dental anxiety in order to estimate a UK population norm and 3) to investigate the relationship between anxiety and age. A market research company called 6,937 telephone numbers of participants over 18 years of age. The response rate was 14%, although the investigators maintain that 'the potential bias was minimal'. Sophisticated statistical methods affirmed the first study objective. In this sample, the investigators report that 11.6% had high dental anxiety. Dental anxiety was four times more prevalent in the young (18–39 yrs) compared to those who were older (60+ yrs), adjusting for confounders.