Creating and Validating the Oral Health Knowledge Questionnaire Specifically Designed for Adults Within Arab Populations
摘要
Background: Oral Health (OH) is regarded with equal importance to overall health of an individual’s body. Various factors previously investigated regarding the health of teeth and the oral cavity, the level of OH knowledge that has been relatively neglected. This study aimed to establish the validity and reliability of an instrument evaluating Arabs’ population knowledge about OH behaviors using specifically designed questionnaire. Methods: Dental OH Belief Scale was developed by the researchers. The questionnaire was finalized by distributing it and completed by total of 910 participating adults form Arab communities. The content validity was evaluated by a panel of 2 clinical Psychology scientists, 2 dentists and 10 other female and male participants. The DOHBS aimed on measuring the concern about teeth color and shape, dental and gums health and diseases including decay, gum inflammation, bleeding, mouth smell, and the individual’s psychological state, self-confidence, and financial ability. For validity assessment, CFA was used to measure cross-cultural validity by testing how well the measured variables represent the number of constructs. Results: Preliminary results confirmed the questionnaire’s good validity, reliability, and responsiveness. Final version of the questionnaire consisted of 8 items and data of the final version fitted the model well. Conclusions: Present findings indicate satisfactory validity, reliability, and applicability of the proposed DOHBS Questionnaire for Arab populations. It can be used as measuring instrument for OH knowledge and predict OH behavior and hygiene status of Arabs.