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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Oral. Health
Sec. Oral Health Promotion
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2024.1517574
This article is part of the Research Topic Dental Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (dPROMs) View all articles

Developing and Validating a Scale to Measure Perceived Barriers to Prosthodontics Treatments Among Partially Edentulous Patients

Provisionally accepted
Rayan Sharka Rayan Sharka *Majd Alghamdi Majd Alghamdi Eman Dustakir Eman Dustakir Mansour Alghamdi Mansour Alghamdi
  • Umm al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: People experiencing tooth loss need dental prostheses to preserve the integrity of their oral structures and replace the missing teeth. Patient-related outcome measures (PROMs) for perceived barriers to prosthodontics treatment are scarce in the literature. Aims: The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive scale to identify and measure barriers to prosthodontic treatment as perceived by partially edentulous patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among N = 334 partially edentulous adults who seeking prosthodontic treatment. Data collection was carried out in February to September 2024. Exploratory factor analysis was utilized to elucidate the latent factor structure. A six-factor model was validated through confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. The convergent and discriminant validity of the final scale were assessed. Results: EFA produced a 21-item scale grouped into six factors that explain 75.78% of the total variance with eigenvalues > 1. All items showed acceptable reliability, ranging from 0.807 to 0.935. The first factor pertained to financial constraints; the second factor was concerning lack of knowledge and awareness; the third factor was related to anxiety and fear; the fourth factor related to negative past dental experiences; the fifth factor included issues related to limited accessibility to dental services; and the last factor was concerning insufficient dental guidance. The CFA results indicate an acceptable model fit, with standardized factor loadings spanning from 0.54 to 0.99. The model factors' convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed.This study enhances the understanding of barriers to prosthodontic treatment in a Saudi Arabian teaching dental hospital. It introduces a novel scale for further data collection, aiding policymakers and stakeholders in addressing these barriers and improving public oral health. Future studies should validate this scale and explore its applicability in various contexts and populations.

    Keywords: Perceived barriers, Psychometrics, Prosthodontics, patient perceptions, dental services

    Received: 26 Oct 2024; Accepted: 31 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sharka, Alghamdi, Dustakir and Alghamdi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Rayan Sharka, Umm al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

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