CROSS-VALIDATION OF A BRAZILIAN VERSION OF THE DENTAL FEAR SURVEY

The Dental Fear Survey (DFS), a paper and pencil instrument for assess ing dental fear and avoidance, has been widely used and validated in f ear studies in the US. However, before such instruments are used in co untries and cultures dissimilar to the one in which it was developed, they should be cross-validated in that culture. The present study is a n examination of the DFS response characteristics in a group of 374 Br azilian university students. Factor analysis of the DFS revealed three factors essentially identical to those found among university student s in the US and in Singapore, as well as among US adult dental patient s. Higher DFS scores were significantly associated longer intervals si nce last dental visit. These results are taken as evidence that the DF S performs in this Brazilian sample very much as it does in other samp les; and is thus, a valid indicator of dental fear at least among Braz ilian university students.