Development of a Questionnaire for Dental Utilization Based on the Andersen Model.

Background and aim Oral health is an integral part of overall general health. Understanding the variables that affect the use of dental services can help overcome the challenges and lessen disparities in oral health. There are no significant reliable questionnaires available for determining factors that influence dental care utilization. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire based on the Andersen model of healthcare utilization to assess these factors. Materials and methods A preliminary questionnaire consisting of 34 items was developed based on the Andersen model of healthcare utilization. The questionnaire's final version consisted of 24 items after five subject area experts analyzed its face validity and content validity. Content validity ratio (CVR) was used to evaluate the validity of the questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was then used to establish the internal consistency and test-retest for the reliability of the questionnaire. Results The final version of the questionnaire included 24 items based on CVR, and the data of the final version suited the model well. The internal consistency measured with Cronbach's alpha coefficient was above the threshold for each item. The Cronbach's alpha value for test-retest reliability was found to be 0.72, which was acceptable. Conclusions The current results show that the proposed questionnaire for dental utilization based on the Andersen model has satisfactory validity and reliability. This questionnaire can be used as an instrument to determine the various factors that affect the utilization of dental services.