[Development and validation of a risk perception scale for patients with chronic periodontitis]

Objective: To develop a risk perception scale for chronic periodontitis patients and evaluate its reliability and validity to support prevention and treatment efforts. Methods: An initial scale was developed based on the risk perception model, considering literature review, qualitative interviews, expert consultation, and a pre-survey. From April to August 2025, 615 chronic periodontitis patients meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited via convenience sampling from periodontal departments of two tertiary Grade A hospitals in Tianjin and Henan Province. All completed questionnaires, which were then subjected to item analysis, conducted reliability and validity tests. Results: Of 615 responses, 602 valid questionnaires were analyzed. The final scale contains 5 dimensions and 24 items. Exploratory factor analysis identified 5 factors, explaining 76.5% of total variance. Scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) was 0.972 while Cronbach's α was 0.944, split-half reliability was 0.872 and test-retest reliability was 0.961. Confirmatory factor analysis showed good model fit (χ²=546.86, χ²/df=2.279), with average variance extracted ranging from 0.550 to 0.836 and composite reliability from 0.859 to 0.945 across dimensions. All psychometric properties met acceptable criteria. Patient risk perception was categorized into low (≤92), moderate (93-112), and high (≥113) levels based on quartiles. Conclusions: The developed scale demonstrates strong reliability and validity and can effectively assess risk perception in chronic periodontitis patients, supporting targeted nursing interventions and health education.