Methods: The Romanian translated versions of the Modified Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and of the Fear of Dental Pain (FDP) questionnaires were administered to 186 Romanian dental students.
Results: High internal consistency (alpha = 0.79 and 0.91) for the two questionnaires was obtained. The mean scores from the MDAS was 10.10±3.41 (out of 25), while the FDP score had a mean of 54.29±13.36 (out of 90). There was a statistical significant difference in the mean MDAS and FDP score between groups according to school and level of education (P < 0.01); medical students scored higher than they dental peers. Significant differences were noted between males' and females' scores with regard to the total score as well as to most MDAS and FDP items (P < 0.05). Comparison of the scales showed that there were high correlations (Pearson) between the MDAS and the FDP (r = 0.60, P < 0.0001).
Conclusions: There were considerable differences in dental anxiety and fear of dental pain between different levels of dental and medical education and between genders.