Development and validation of a questionnaire on perceived prosthodontic treatment needs of Malaysian adults

Abstract

The literature suggests a high prevalence of the need for prosthodontic treatment, yet little is known from the perspective of dental patients. Additionally, a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of these needs is lacking. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a novel instrument, termed the questionnaire on perceived prosthodontic treatment needs (PPTN), that assesses perceived prosthodontic treatment needs in adults. The PPTN was developed following a literature review, consultation with healthcare workers, and patient interviews. It included 15 questions and the selfrated need for prosthodontic treatments, categorized on a Likert scale. A cross-sectional descriptive study was completed on 193 dental patients seeking or receiving prosthodontic treatment. Three perceived prosthodontic treatment need factors (psychosocial impact, aesthetic concern, and function) were identified using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The identified factors represent 67.8% of the variance with eigenvalues of > 1. The PPTN has a high degree of internal consistency and reliability, as the final questionnaire had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.75 and an intraclass coefficient (ICC) of 0.75 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.68 to 0.80 (F (192, 576) = 3.94, p < 0.001). This newly developed questionnaire is helpful for understanding patients’ perceived treatment needs and will benefit further prosthodontic research and clinical application. Additional research is necessary to validate this newly developed instrument with clinical measurements so that it may subsequently be adapted as a useful tool to estimate prosthodontic treatment needs in wider populations when clinical examinations are not feasible.