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Updated: Jan 11, 2026
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Preliminary Validation of an Ageism Scale for Dental Students in Chile
Soraya León1, Francisca Araya-Bustos1, Karla Gambetta-Tessini1,2
1Gerodontology and Cariology Units, Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Talca, Talca, Chile.
Objectives:
This study aimed to conduct a preliminary validation of the Chilean version of the Ageism Scale for Dental Students (ASDS-CL).
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was carried out among 303 dental students from six Chilean universities. The original ASDS was translated and culturally adapted. The internal structure was assessed using principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach's alpha. Discriminant validity was evaluated by comparing scores across sociodemographic variables.
Results:
PCA identified a four-factor solution comprising 18 items: (1) Preconceived notions about older adults' oral health, (2) Negative views and professional decisions, (3) Students' competence and confidence, and (4) Social perception and access barriers. These factors explained 50% of the total variance (KMO = 0.76; Bartlett's test p < 0.001). Internal consistency was acceptable (α = 0.72). CFA confirmed the four-factor structure (RMSEA = 0.071; CFI = 0.82; TLI = 0.80). Discriminant validity analyses revealed significant differences by gender, academic year, and prior experience with older adults.
Conclusions:
The ASDS-CL showed satisfactory psychometric properties and cultural adequacy in Chilean dental students. Future research should assess longitudinal changes and aim to establish an internationally relevant core of ageism assessment in dental education.
