Part I. What drives Korean adults to seek orthodontic treatment: Reliability and validity of a measurement instrument for the perception of orthodontic treatment

OBJECTIVE: To develop a standardized instrument to measure the level of cognition for orthodontic treatment in adults, and verify its reliability and validity for assessing perceptions of orthodontic treatment in adults. METHODS: A total of 406 adults aged 19–64 years were surveyed by an internet research system. A tool was developed through the instrument development and verification stages. The data were analyzed by correlation analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and Cronbach’s α test. RESULTS: The instrument consisted of 11 items covering four factors related to orthodontic treatment. Three items were related to general perception, four described the perception of the treatment for adults, two related to the treatment effects, and two related to the retention of orthodontic treatment. In the reliability test, Cronbach’s α was 0.845 for the 11 items. In assessments for individual components, Cronbach’s α was 0.764 for the general perception of orthodontic treatment, 0.705 for the perception of this treatment for adults, 0.707 for the effects of the treatment, and 0.701 for the retention of orthodontic treatment. Finally, a measurement instrument for the perception of orthodontic treatment in adults was designed to assess the 11 items on a four-point Likert scale. CONCLUSIONS: This study developed a standard measurement instrument for assessing the perception of orthodontic treatment in adults. The proposed instrument will enable additional studies on the influence of an adult’s perception of orthodontic treatment on the decision to undergo treatment.