Bridging Guidelines and Oral Healthcare: Development and Initial Validation of a Questionnaire Assessing Early-Career...

Background/Objectives: Contemporary periodontal therapy is increasingly guided by evidence-based clinical protocols, particularly the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) S3 Clinical Practice Guidelines. The present study aimed to assess dentists' perceptions regarding modern periodontal therapy and to perform a preliminary psychometric evaluation of a newly developed questionnaire. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 109 dental practitioners. The questionnaire evaluated perceptions regarding non-surgical periodontal therapy, surgical periodontal therapy, and the comparative role of both therapeutic approaches. Descriptive statistical analysis, internal consistency analysis using Cronbach's Alpha, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), repeated measures ANOVA, and exploratory factor analysis (Principal Component Analysis-PCA) with Varimax rotation were performed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instrument. Results: The questionnaire demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach's Alpha values ranging from 0.77 to 0.86. ICC analysis confirmed satisfactory reliability. Respondents showed favorable attitudes toward evidence-based periodontal management, supporting non-surgical therapy as first-line treatment and the staged integration of surgical approaches in complex cases. Exploratory factor analysis identified a coherent factorial structure, with four components explaining 73.94% of the total variance. Conclusions: The questionnaire showed good psychometric properties, supporting its potential utility as a reliable and useful instrument for evaluating professional attitudes and clinical decision-making in periodontology.