IADR Abstract Archives
Initial Validation of the Adult Periodontal Health Knowledge Scale (ALPHA-K)
Objectives: This study aimed to develop and validate the Adult Periodontal Health Knowledge Scale (ALPHA-K) for the assessment of periodontal health knowledge in adults.
Methods: An item pool comprising 18 true-false statements related to periodontal health knowledge was generated through a literature search and translated into Thai. The initial ALPHA-K draft was then reviewed and assessed its content validity by an expert panel before pilot testing in 20 Thai adults. After final scale refinement, a 20-item ALPHA-K was established and administered to a validation sample of 140 participants, categorized as new patients (n=83) and old patients (n=57), based on their history of periodontal treatment at dental school. Descriptive analysis was performed to assess demographic, oral health behavior and periodontal health knowledge between two groups.
Results: The ALPHA-K scale was found to be relevant, comprehensive and comprehensible by an expert panel and target sample. The final 20-item scale demonstrated both item- and scale-content validity index of ≥0.86. Median ALPHA-K score of validation sample was 13 (maximum=20, minimum=7). The majority of participants (92%) understood that dental plaque is the primary cause of periodontal disease. However, over two-thirds of study population reported that flossing is primarily for removal of food impaction (91%) and salt water can treat periodontal disease (73%). The old patient group had significantly higher median ALPHA-K scores than the new patient group (p=0.05), indicating good discriminative validity.
Conclusions: The ALPHA-K is the first validated scale designed for the assessment of periodontal health knowledge in adults. This user-friendly scale can serve as a valuable instrument in evaluating and improving periodontal health knowledge. There remains considerable misunderstandings about periodontal health among the general population. The present results also emphasize the importance of targeted education and intervention programs, particularly for new patients, to enhance their understanding and practices related to periodontal treatment.
Methods: An item pool comprising 18 true-false statements related to periodontal health knowledge was generated through a literature search and translated into Thai. The initial ALPHA-K draft was then reviewed and assessed its content validity by an expert panel before pilot testing in 20 Thai adults. After final scale refinement, a 20-item ALPHA-K was established and administered to a validation sample of 140 participants, categorized as new patients (n=83) and old patients (n=57), based on their history of periodontal treatment at dental school. Descriptive analysis was performed to assess demographic, oral health behavior and periodontal health knowledge between two groups.
Results: The ALPHA-K scale was found to be relevant, comprehensive and comprehensible by an expert panel and target sample. The final 20-item scale demonstrated both item- and scale-content validity index of ≥0.86. Median ALPHA-K score of validation sample was 13 (maximum=20, minimum=7). The majority of participants (92%) understood that dental plaque is the primary cause of periodontal disease. However, over two-thirds of study population reported that flossing is primarily for removal of food impaction (91%) and salt water can treat periodontal disease (73%). The old patient group had significantly higher median ALPHA-K scores than the new patient group (p=0.05), indicating good discriminative validity.
Conclusions: The ALPHA-K is the first validated scale designed for the assessment of periodontal health knowledge in adults. This user-friendly scale can serve as a valuable instrument in evaluating and improving periodontal health knowledge. There remains considerable misunderstandings about periodontal health among the general population. The present results also emphasize the importance of targeted education and intervention programs, particularly for new patients, to enhance their understanding and practices related to periodontal treatment.