Patient-evaluated dentistry: development and validation of a patient satisfaction questionnaire for fixed...

The aim of this study was to develop and verify the reliability and validity of a questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with fixed dental prostheses (FDPs).

A questionnaire was developed, pilot-tested, and modified. It assessed esthetics, masticatory function, phonetics, cleansibility, and cost satisfaction using a visual analog scale and whether patients would elect to undergo the same treatment again (yes/no). It was sent to patients with a known evidence-based outcome (survival) who received FDPs from 1984 to 2005 (n = 986) in one private prosthodontic practice. Reliability and validity were analyzed using the Student t, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis, Cronbach alpha, Spearman-Brown, Correlation matrix, Bartlett sphericity, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO), and factor analysis tests. Significance was set at P = .05.

Five hundred patients responded (50.7%). A Cronbach alpha value of 0.8 and split-sample Spearman-Brown value of 0.7 indicated good reliability. Step-wise removal of items did not improve internal consistency. Discriminant construct validity assessment showed no item redundancy. Satisfaction of patients who had experienced prosthesis failure (n = 52) was significantly less than their counterparts (73% ± 3% vs 83% ± 0.6%, P = .004), ascertaining convergent construct validity. Factor analysis (Bartlett sphericity, P < .001; KMO = 0.84) identified two components (Eigenvalues ⋝ 1.0) that explained 93.18% (varimax rotation) of variations. Component 1 included satisfaction with function (esthetics, mastication, phonetics, and cleansibility); component 2 included satisfaction with costs and whether patients would undergo the same treatment again.

The Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire developed proved reliable and valid for assessing patient-evaluated outcomes of FDPs. Use of this questionnaire in further research is justified. Int J Prosthodont 2011;24:332-341.