RESUMO
Background: There is an absence of a valid and reliable tool basedon a field study for predictingfactors related to dental caries in adolescents. Also the lack of preventivemodels of tooth decay has been perceived. The aim of thisstudy was to design preventive models by assessing psychometric properties of questionnaire of predictive factors for dental caries inadolescents using factor analysis.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive analytical research was done in 2013-14onadolescents who lived in Tehran city.First, model and questionnaire of predictive factors for dental caries in adolescents were designed based on qualitative research using grounded theory. Using systematic samplings, 607 studentsand 400 students [12 and 16 years old] were selected for Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis respectively. The reliability of the questionnairewas calculated by two different
methods: Cronbach'salphaand test-retest. Also, in order to determine the validity of the scale, we used three methods including face validity, content validity, and construct validity. Exploratoryand ConfirmatoryFactorAnalysis were done bySPSS softwareversion 16 and LISLER softwareversion 8.8 respectively. Finally, appropriate models for preventing of tooth decay were presented.
Results: During exploratory factor analysis, eightfactors developed: behavioral factors, fear, social support, motivational beliefs, role of school, instructive elements, socio economic status, and value of teeth. Results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the eightfactor model for preventing of dental caries fit Iranian adolescents and the four-factor model isthe strongest predictor of oral health behaviorwhich foresees 76% of behaviors related to oral and dental health.Also test-retest scoreobtained 0.74 and internal consistency was 0.85.
Conclusion:Based on the results of this study, the validity and reliability of the38-item questionnaires of predictive factors for dental caries in adolescents is acceptable and suitable. Therefore the presented models can be used in designing educational programs. Also this tool can be applied in future researches and different groups of students.
RESUMO
Objective: Various factors affect dental caries and impact the patterns of dental care. A few studies have been conducted to identify these factors from the perspectives of students. This study aimed to explore factors influencing dental caries from students' perspectives
Methods: A qualitative design using content analysis approach was conducted to collect the perspectives of 18 Iranian students who were studying in 8 guidance schools. They were chosen through purposive sampling. Semi- structured private interviews and focus groups were held for data gathering. The tape-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an inductive content analysis approach. In order to support the validity and rigor of the data, different trustworthiness criteria such as acceptability, confirm ability and transferability were considered
Results: During data analysis, four main categories were developed: "difficult conditions of care", "disability in caring", "uncontrollability of dental caries" and "intangible sense of the factors causing dental caries"
The participants more emphasized their own experiences about having insufficient dental-oral care, not paying attention to oral health, dental fear and the lack of both knowledge and competency regarding this issue
Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed factors influencing dental caries from students' perspectives and emphasized the roles of individual, parent, dentist and community in this respect
The findings of this study can be considered to be a valuable basis to design oral health interventions. However, more studies are required to improve our understanding of dental fear and denote barriers and social beliefs pertinent to oral health in different groups of students?