Dental Fear Survey: A Cross-Sectional Study Evaluating the Psychometric Properties of the Brazilian Portuguese Version

Table 2

Structure loadings for the three-factor solution with Promax rotation and correlations of the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) with each item.

Item	Pattern matrix factor loadings
	Factor I	Factor II	Factor III
Avoidance
DFS1. Has fear of dental work ever caused you to put off making an appointment?
DFS2. Has fear of dental work ever caused you to cancel or not appear for an  appointment?
DFS8. Making an appointment for dentistry
DFS9. Approaching the dentist’s office
DFS10. Sitting in the waiting room
DFS11. Being seated in the dental chair
DFS12. The smell of the dentist’s office
DFS13. Seeing the dentist walk in
Physiological arousal. When having dental work done:
DFS3. My muscles become tense
DFS4. My breathing rate increases
DFS5. I perspire
DFS6. I feel nauseated and sick to my stomach
DFS7. My heart beats faster
Fears of specific stimuli/situations
DFS14. Seeing the anesthetic needle
DFS15. Feeling the needle injected
DFS16. Seeing the drill
DFS17. Hearing the drill
DFS18. Feeling the vibrations of the drill
DFS19. Having your teeth cleaned
DFS20. All things considered, how fearful are you of having dental work done?