Questionnaire Development for Perceptions Among Dental Practitioners on The Management of Periodontitis and Diabetes Risk

Abstract

Diabetes and periodontitis are both highly prevalent diseases in Malaysia, with a strong bidirectional relationship. Therefore, encouraging shared care management is essential to ensure patients benefit from controlling both conditions. Our study aimed to investigate general dental practitioners' perceptions and current practices regarding the shared care management of periodontitis and diabetes using a questionnaire. We developed an evidence-based questionnaire through a systematic literature search and pre-tested it on 30 dental practitioners in a public university. Three databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and Ovid MEDLINE), were used to access the available literature. All eligible articles were screened for duplicates and relevance, selecting those with questionnaires. The most relevant questions were chosen and organised thematically. The final section of the questionnaire included a validation sheet, where clinicians reviewed the questions and suggested potential improvements. Seven key aspects were assessed: clarity and directions of items, presentation and organisation of items, suitability of items, adequacy of the content, attainment of purpose/objective, and scale and evaluation rating. All aspects were deemed 'satisfactory' by the clinicians. The clinicians recommended the questionnaire, offering a few suggestions for improvement. More than 95% of the clinicians evaluated the questionnaire as satisfactory, concluding it was valid. Suggested improvements were implemented, such as bolding or italicising the instructions, changing the selection format of questions, and adjusting the direction of options for two questions. A final questionnaire was developed for future research on dental practitioners' knowledge and perceptions regarding the bidirectional relationship and management of diabetes and periodontitis.