The Italian Validation of the Level of Exposure-Dental Experiences Questionnaire
Source abstract
Abstract
The aim of this monocentric cross-sectional study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Italian version of the Level of Exposure-Dental Experiences Questionnaire (LOE-DEQ) in an Italian sample of 253 dental patients ranging from 18–80 years of age. The LOE-DEQ assesses 16 potential dental distressing experiences and 7 general traumatic life events through 4 subscales: (1) dentists’ behaviour and patients’ emotions (DBPE); (2) distressing dental procedures (DDP); (3) other distressing dental events (ODDE); and (4) general traumatic events (GTE). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original 4-factor model had adequate fit to the data obtained from the Italian sample. Criterion validity was partially confirmed as only DBPE and DDP positively correlated with dental anxiety. Similarly, convergent validity was also partially confirmed as DBPE, DDP, and ODDE correlated with negative beliefs towards the dentist and the dental treatment. Discriminant validity was fully confirmed, as all correlations were below 0.60. Finally, DDP was the factor most associated with high dental anxiety. This study offers evidence of the reliability and validity of the LOE-DEQ in the Italian context, providing Italian researchers and dentists with a tool to assess dental and general distressing experiences in dental patients.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Dental Anxiety and Anesthesia Techniques · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
University of Naples Federico II, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, Naples 80131, Italy
University of Naples Federico II, Department of Public Health, Naples 80131, Italy
University of Calabria, Department of Humanistic Studies, Cosenza 87036, Italy
University of Naples Federico II, Department of Humanities, Naples 80133, Italy
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