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Updated: May 13, 2026
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Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
The Parental Dental Concerns Scale (PDCS): its development and initial psychometric properties
Stephanie Chambers1, Gerry Humphris, Ruth Freeman
1Oral Health and Health Research Programme, Dental Health Services & Research Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
|March 2, 2013
Summary
The Parental Dental Concerns Scale (PDCS) reliably identifies parents facing barriers to children's preventive dental care. It shows good construct validity, but further testing is needed for predictive validity.
Area of Science:
- Dental Public Health
- Psychometrics
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Access to preventive dental care is crucial for child oral health.
- Identifying parental barriers is key to improving access.
- Existing tools may not adequately capture these parental concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Parental Dental Concerns Scale (PDCS).
- To determine if the PDCS can identify parents experiencing difficulties accessing preventive dental services for their children.
Main Methods:
- Two studies involving Scottish parents (n=399 and n=574) utilized the PDCS questionnaire.
- Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed.
- Reliability was assessed via internal consistency and test-retest correlations; validity was examined using CFA and t-tests.
Main Results:
- Exploratory factor analysis supported a four-factor structure for the PDCS, confirmed by CFA.
- The PDCS and its subscales demonstrated good internal consistency, concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability.
- Further research is needed to establish the scale's predictive validity in differentiating attendance behaviors.
Conclusions:
- The Parental Dental Concerns Scale (PDCS) is a reliable instrument with good construct validity.
- The PDCS shows promise for identifying parental barriers to children's dental care access.
- Additional research is recommended to confirm the scale's predictive validity.
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