A visual analogue scale in the assessment of dental anxiety.

The purpose of this study is to determine the validity of the visual analogue scale (VAS) in the assessment of changing levels of dental anxiety, through correlation with the dental anxiety scale (DAS) and the state portion (A-state) of the statetrait anxiety inventory (STAI). Forty-five adult patients attending an oral surgery clinic for a routine dental extraction participated. Before any treatment, each patient completed the DAS, the STAI, and a 100mm VAS. The order of administration was randomly determined. Following completion of the dental extraction under local anesthesia and just before discharge, the patients were once more asked to complete the DAS, the A-State, and a VAS which were again randomly ordered. All three measures demonstrate a significant reduction in mean anxiety scores from presurgery to postsurgery. There are significant correlations among the three measures both pre- and postsurgery. The VAS appears to correlate well with both the DAS and the A-State under changing levels of anxiety.