Development and Validation of Questionnaire “Denture Knowledge, Attitude and Practice”

Objectives: In Mukah Division, many patients insist on extracting of their remaining dentition to construct removable complete dentures, despite being informed about the advantages of keeping sound natural dentition and the feasibility of removable partial dentures. A cross sectional study using a questionnaire was planned to assess the denture knowledge, attitude and practice in Mukah division, Sarawak. However, there is no known validated questionnaire available for use. To develop and validate a questionnaire to assess of Denture Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP). Methods: A questionnaire with 22 items was developed with the help of dental public health experts. Purposive sampling was used for pre-test and pilot study. Ten responsive and cooperative subjects were selected for pre-test. Two groups of 30 subjects, wearing and not wearing dentures respectively, with a wide variation in Denture KAP were selected from various dental clinics in different divisions of Sarawak for pilot study. The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated by its internal consistency with Cronbach’s Alpha, and the construct validity by factor analysis. The reliability and validity tests were performed separately for denture wearers and non-denture wearers. Results: Reliability analysis indicated a high consistency of the questions where Cronbach’s Alpha values were between 0.79 and 0.90. In the factor analysis for denture wearers, 3 components were defined which indicated Knowledge, Attitude and Practice sections whereas for non-denture wearers, 2 components were defined which indicated Knowledge and Attitude sections. Hence, the final version of the questionnaire for denture wearers had 3 sections with 14 items, and 2 sections with 11 items for non-denture wearers. Conclusion: The questionnaire demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity. It assesses denture KAP in denture wearers and, denture knowledge and attitude in non-denture wearers. Hence, its further use is recommended for patients attending dental clinics.