The McGill Denture Satisfaction Questionnaire revisited: Exploratory factor analysis of a binational sample

Area of Science:

• Dental Prosthetics
• Patient-Reported Outcome Measures
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Complete dentures are crucial for oral function and quality of life in edentulous patients.
• Assessing patient satisfaction with dentures is essential for evaluating treatment success.
• The McGill Denture Satisfaction Questionnaire (MDSQ) is a tool used for this purpose.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the dimensionality, item reduction, and construct validity of the MDSQ.
• To assess the reliability of the MDSQ in a binational sample of complete denture wearers.
• To determine the suitability of MDSQ subsets for patient-centered outcome assessment.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of baseline data from two studies on implant-retained overdentures (USA and Brazil).
• Participants (n=265) responded to MDSQ items regarding their original mandibular dentures.
• Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's alpha (Cα) were used to assess internal consistency and dimensionality.

Main Results:

• The MDSQ demonstrated high internal consistency (Cα ≥ 0.83 for subset 1, Cα ≥ 0.95 for subset 2).
• EFA revealed a single significant factor for overall satisfaction (54% variance) and masticatory ability (65% variance).
• Item reduction was explored, with minimal impact on internal consistency.

Conclusions:

• The MDSQ is a reliable and valid instrument for the patient-centered evaluation of complete dentures in the edentulous mandible.
• The study supports using "overall satisfaction" and "masticatory ability" as summary scores for improved outcome assessment.
• Findings confirm the MDSQ's utility in diverse populations.