Aim: To develop and validate a questionnaire based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) model of healthcare disparities to assess the barriers faced by children with special needs in utilizing dental care services, as perceived by their caregivers and dental professionals, in Chennai city.
Materials and methods:Based on the IOM model, two questionnaires were developed to assess barriers to dental care utilization from the dentist and caregiver's perspective. Content, face validation was done. Test-retest reliability was checked. Results: Scale-Content validity index (S-CVI) value of 0.8 was obtained for both the scales. Cronbach's alpha value of 0.52 and 0.62 was obtained cfor the dentist and caregiver questionnaire, respectively.
Conclusion:The present study showed that the developed questionnaire was a reliable and valid tool to assess barriers faced by children with special needs in utilizing dental care services in an Indian context. Clinical significance: The present study paves the way for further research on barriers encountered by children with special needs and its myriad implications in developing countries like India.
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