RMS tactile scale: An innovative tactile anxiety scale for visually impaired children

摘要

Introduction: Behavior guidance is considered to be the backbone of pediatric dentistry which differentiates us from the other fields in dental sciences. Anxiety and fear being the primary concern in pediatric patients, has to be taken into consideration for the visually impaired children too. In the present study, an innovative anxiety scale RMS tactile scale (RMS-TS) was designed for the visually impaired children. Introducing newer concept other than Braille in the dental clinic for such patients can help in coping up and bringing out positive behavior in the special children. Aims and Objective: The study aimed to validate and assess the efficacy of RMS-TS for visually impaired child and compare it with modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS) and Braille scale. Materials and Methods: A total of hundred children of age 12–15 years from the special school were selected for the study. MDAS, RMS-TS, and Braille scale were used to determine the pretreatment anxiety scores in the visually impaired children. Results: The validity of the RMS-TS in the pretreatment anxiety in the assessment of child's dental anxiety is supported by its strong correlation with both the scales. Conclusions: The RMS-TS can be reliable anxiety assessment scale for measuring child's dental anxiety in visually impaired children. It can be used alone or in combination with other methods to improve assessment of dental anxiety.