Psychometric Evaluation of the Professional Ethics Principles Questionnaire and Assessment of Dental Students’ Attitudes

Taheri, Mahdokht; Babaee Hemmati, Yasamin; Falahchai, Mehran; Javanak, Mandana; Fallahkheiri Langroudi, Seyed Keyhan

doi:10.18502/ijme.v19i11.22903

Volume 19, Issue 1 (3-2026) Iran J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2026, 19(1): 1-16 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 10.18502/ijme.v19i11.22903

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Taheri M, Babaee Hemmati Y, Falahchai M, Javanak M, Fallahkheiri Langroudi S K. Psychometric Evaluation of the Professional Ethics Principles Questionnaire and Assessment of Dental Students’ Attitudes. Iran J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2026; 19 (1) : 11
URL: http://ijme.tums.ac.ir/article-1-6871-en.html

Psychometric Evaluation of the Professional Ethics Principles Questionnaire and Assessment of Dental Students’ Attitudes

Mahdokht Taheri¹, Yasamin Babaee Hemmati², Mehran Falahchai ^*³, Mandana Javanak⁴, Seyed Keyhan Fallahkheiri Langroudi⁵

1- Associate Professor, Medical Education Research Center, Education Development Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Dental Sciences Research Center, School of Dentistry, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
3- Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Dental Sciences Research Center, School of Dentistry, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
4- Medical Education Research Center, Education Development Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
5- School of Dentistry, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

Abstract: (114 Views)

Assessing attitudes toward and adherence to professional ethics principles in dental education requires valid and culturally adapted instruments. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a self-report questionnaire and to examine dental students’ attitudes toward professional ethics at Guilan University of Medical Sciences. A questionnaire derived from the Code of Ethics of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of British Columbia was translated and culturally adapted and subsequently evaluated in terms of validity and reliability. Exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to examine construct validity, while Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was employed to evaluate reliability. Exploratory factor analysis identified a two-factor structure consisting of “Academic Ethics Principles” (14 items) and “Clinical Ethics Principles” (10 items), which together explained 35.94% of the total variance. The overall reliability of the instrument was confirmed with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.88. These results confirm the validity and reliability of the questionnaire as a valid instrument for assessing attitudes toward professional ethics principles in dental education. Subsequently, a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted among 190 dental students in their third year or above, selected through simple random sampling. The data obtained from the administration of the questionnaire were analyzed using the independent-samples t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The mean score for attitude toward adherence to professional ethics principles among students was 115.8 ± 11.47. Female students and students with greater interest in dentistry scored significantly higher on this attitude measure (P< 0.01). A positive correlation was observed between age and attitudes toward adherence to professional ethics principles. The findings of this study may contribute to the development of evidence-based strategies to strengthen professional ethics education in dental curricula.

Article number: 11

Keywords: Psychometrics, Professional ethics, Dental ethics, Clinical ethics

Full-Text [PDF 1452 kb] (27 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Medical Ethics
Received: 2025/02/12 | Revised: 2026/10/5 | Accepted: 2026/08/26 | Published: 2026/03/21