ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Parental perceptions of staining due to silver diamine fluoride (SDF) could affect its utilization in paediatric dentistry. This study represents the second part of a wider project focused on SDF esthetic acceptability among Italian parents. AIM: To evaluate parental acceptance of SDF staining in Italy and to assess whether the parent's level of acceptance depends on location, child's behavior, or demographic background. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Italian parents of children attending two university dental clinics. We used a validated Italian version of the questionnaire "Parental Perceptions of Silver Diamine Fluoride Dental Color Changes." RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty-four parents took part in the survey. Of parents, 65.4% considered the staining on posterior teeth esthetically "acceptable" or "somewhat acceptable," and 19.3% on anterior teeth (p = .001). In a scenario of positive cooperation, 48.5% of parents were "somewhat likely" or "very likely" to choose SDF to treat posterior teeth, and 17.6% on anterior teeth (p = .001). Level of acceptance increased as the difficulty the child would experience to receive conventional treatment increased. CONCLUSION: Staining on posterior teeth is more acceptable to parents than staining on anterior teeth. Level of acceptance on anterior teeth increases when sedation or general anesthesia is the alternative for the child.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The original English version of the questionnaire 'Parental Perceptions of SDF Dental Color Changes' was used among parents in the New York City metropolitan area. AIM: To develop an Italian version of the questionnaire and to assess its validity. DESIGN: The construct validity and the internal consistency were assessed in a convenience sample of Italian parents of 251 young healthy children seen at the University of Bologna and Pisa. Forward-backward technique was carried out for the translation of the questionnaire. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was equal to 0.91, and Bartlett's test of sphericity was statistically significant (P = .001), so the items were treated with the exploratory principal component analysis (PCA). RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.69 to 0.95. PCA demonstrates that all the items load on the first component (87% of explained variance). All the Spearman correlation coefficients between each subscale (positive scenario: 0.563; negative scenario: 0.665) and the general acceptability showed significant correlation (P = .0001). Different age, educational level, and family income of the parents did not produce statistically significant different scores on any of the subscales (P > .05; Mann-Whitney test). CONCLUSION: The Italian version of the questionnaire showed high internal consistency and construct validity and was appropriate to be used in an Italian population.
