"Validation of an instrument for dentists' perception of pain in noncommunicable patients"
"validation study; surveys and questionnaires; pain perception; dentists; nonverbal communication"
"Pain permeates the dental clinic, whether due to oral problems such as dental caries and its complications or related to dental procedures performed. Pain evaluation in patients with communication difficulties (PCDs) poses a challenge for dentists, potentially compromising their treatment. The aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument to assess the perception of dentists about pain in individuals with communication difficulties. This study follows a quantitative methodological approach involving constructing and validating an instrument administered to 50 dentists. The initial instrument consisted of 29 items divided into four domains. Content and construct validity and verification of internal consistency were confirmed. Content validation was performed by judges using the Content Validity Index. The instrument underwent construct validation and internal consistency assessments through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, employing Cronbach's α, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, and Bartlett's sphericity tests. The final instrument consisted of 21 items, divided into three domains, with substantial Cronbach's α for one domain and moderate values for the others. The total variance accounted for was above 46.03%. Each factor retained at least three items, with factor loadings exceeding 0.3, commonalities greater than 0.2, and eigenvalues > 1. Despite the study's limitations, the instrument demonstrated its feasibility for application and potential in evaluating the perception and management of pain in individuals with communication difficulties (PCDs)."