The Psychometric Properties of the Revised Dental Beliefs Survey in Iranian Young Adults: A Second Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Negative views of dentists contribute to dental anxiety and reduced visits, worsening oral health. In Iran, where oral diseases are common and preventive care is low, understanding dental beliefs is essential. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the persian dental beliefs survey-revised (DBS-R) to support dental health awareness and behavior change. Methods A cross-sectional psychometric study was conducted in ۲۰۲۴ involving ۴۰۰ students at Saveh University of Medical Sciences, selected via convenience sampling. The original DBS-R was translated from English to Persian using the forward-backward translation method. Face and content validity were confirmed through qualitative assessment. Structural validity was examined using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Internal consistency and reliability were measured by Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, and Composite Reliability (CR). Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed through Average Variance Extracted (AVE), Maximum Shared Variance (MSV), and Fornell-Larcker criteria. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS v۲۱ and AMOS v۱۸. Results The Persian DBS-R identified four factors—Ethics (۸ items), Communication (۶ items), Control (۴ items), and Trust (۶ items)—explaining ۵۶.۸% of the total variance. Goodness-of-fit indices from CFA confirmed a satisfactory model fit. All reliability indices were strong, and both convergent and discriminant validity were acceptable. Conclusion The Persian version of the DBS-R demonstrates strong psychometric properties and is suitable for use in academic, clinical, and public health research within Persian-speaking populations

کلیدواژه ها:

Reliability ، validity ، Dental beliefs ، Scale validation ، Young Adults ، Iran