Development and validation of the parenting and child tooth brushing assessment questionnaire

Abstract

Objective We report the development and validation of a comprehensive Parenting and Child Tooth brushing Assessment (PACTA) questionnaire. Methods This cross‐sectional study was conducted with community‐recruited Australian parents (N = 450) of children aged 2‐8 years. Parents completed an online survey including the newly developed PACTA (comprising four scales assessing children's tooth brushing behaviours, parenting strategies, attitudes and knowledge) and established scales assessing parenting behaviours, attitudes and self‐efficacy. Results Exploratory factor analyses revealed two‐factor structures for scales assessing child behaviour (‘noncompliance’ and ‘avoidance behaviour’), parenting strategies (‘effective strategies’ and ‘ineffective strategies’) and attitudes (‘emotional reactions’ and ‘lack of concern’), whereas the knowledge scale was unidimensional. Internal consistencies were satisfactory (>0.7) for all except the knowledge scale. There was good evidence of convergent and predictive validity. All subscales predicted children's parent‐reported tooth brushing frequency; children were more likely to brush at least twice per day when parents reported fewer tooth brushing behavioural problems, using effective parenting strategies, and having better attitudes and knowledge. Poorer scores on the ‘lack of concern’ subscale of the attitudes scale were the strongest unique predictor of twice‐daily brushing (OR, 95% CI: 1.51, 1.36‐1.67). Conclusions PACTA demonstrates satisfactory validity and reliability. Further research assessing sensitivity to change following intervention is warranted.

Protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an online parenting intervention for promoting oral health of 2–6 years old Australian children

“…PACTA comprises four scales assessing: (i) toothbrushing behaviour in children and parental self-efficacy with managing difficult child behaviours, (ii) parenting strategies used to promote brushing, and parents’ (iii) attitudes and (iv) knowledge about toothbrushing. We found PACTA to be valid and reliable 40…”

Child‐ and family‐level factors associated with toothbrushing frequency in a sample of Australian children

“…Higher scores demonstrate better attitudes and knowledge. PACTA was found to be a valid and reliable measure 14 …”

“…Parents had to provide informed consent electronically before proceeding with the online survey. The data used in the current study were initially collected to establish the reliability and validity of new parent‐reported measure of child behaviour and parental confidence, strategies, attitudes and knowledge in relation to children's toothbrushing, which is reported elsewhere 14 …”

“…PACTA was found to be a valid and reliable measure. 14 General child behaviour and parental efficacy were assessed using the Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale (CAPES). The scale has 24 items assessing the extent of children's externalizing behaviour problems (α = .87) and 3 items assessing emotional maladjustment (α = .72), and each item is scored on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much).…”

Association of temperament with oral health behaviour and caries status in Thai preschool children

“…The question of tooth brushing and assessment criteria was modified from previous studies. 20,21 The caretaker was given a Likert scale from 1 (almost always) to 5 (never) to rate how often their child avoided or did not comply with tooth brushing. The responses on the 5-point Likert scale were converted to dichotomous responses (scale 1-2 = uncooperative and scale 3-5 = cooperative).…”