Development of a Dental Satisfaction Questionnaire for the Health Insurance Experiment

Describes the development of a Dental Satisfaction Questionnaire (DSQ) for use in the Health Insurance Experiment (HIE) and evaluates, against standard psychometric criteria, how well the DSQ met the goals outlined for its development and usefulness to the HIE. Scaling analyses resulted in construction of nine dental satisfaction measures: Access, Availability/Convenience, Cost, Pain Management, Quality, Continuity, General Satisfaction, Access Total, and an overall Dental Satisfaction Index. Results support scale reliability and validity, and use of the DSQ in general population studies that tap patients' opinions about dental care. The report provides scale scoring rules, and suggests areas for further research on the dental satisfaction concept and on the distinction between dental and medical satisfaction.