Designing a Valid Questionnaire on Oral Health Related Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in 12-year Old Children in Iran

Background and To organize oral health promotion programs in Iran, assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of students is important.The aim of this study was to design a comprehensive and validate questionnaire on KAP of oral health in 12-year old children in Iran. This cross-sectional study included 1554 children aged 12 years old who were selected from 5 provinces in Iran. First, an Internet search of the major databases of medical articles published between 2003 and 2013 was performed. After a systematic review of literature, a questionnaire was prepared in English, and was translated and back-translated using standard methods. Then the face and construct validity of Persian version of the questionnaire were assessed. Internal consistency was performed using Cronbach's alpha coefficients for reliability testing. The final Persian version of the questionnaire was included the most important issues in the field of knowledge (influencing factors, and the effect of carbohydrates on dental caries), attitude (fear of dentist and dental care) and practice (how to brush, diet and dental appointments). The Persian version was consistent with the English version. Participation rate of 92% was reported. Construct validity was assessed using known groups approach, internal consistency and exploratory factor analysis which was found to be in an acceptable level. The Cronbach's alpha for questions, knowledge, attitude and practice, were 0.88%, 0.86%, 0.87% and 0.78%, respectively, indicating an acceptable consistency of the questionnaire. The Persian version of the questionnaire is a precise, valid and reliable instrument for assessing KAP of oral health in 12- year old children.