Scale development to assess psychological states in dental patients

The authors have developed psychological scales to assess the states and behavior of dental patients with a particular focus on self-efficacy theory. When developing such scales, it is essential to verify their reliability and validity. We describe classic methods for developing scales to assess the psychological states of dental patients. These methods can also be applied to other psychological theories. Reliability factors, consistency, and stability are discussed, and validity factors-including content validity, criterion-related validity, and construct validity-are explored. In our past studies, we developed a self-efficacy scale for self-care among periodontal disease patients, and proved its effectiveness in predicting loss to follow-up for long-term periodontal treatment. Here, we also show the clinical applications of the psychological scales, whose reliability and validity has been confirmed.