Data Collection Using ‘Software as a Service’ in Oral Health Surveys.

Objectives: Data collection methods and storage are an essential component of data management and reproducible research. Accurate data collection minimises potential problems for open science sharing of data and enhances methodological robustness by facilitating computational reproducibility. Software as a Service (SaaS) is a method of providing access to applications via the internet. Selection of suitable SaaS applications depends on multiple factors including platform options, design and system features. Protocols to apply SaaS applications were developed for research aimed at investigating the oral health and dietary pattern of elite athletes in Ireland.
Methods: Kobotoolbox and FoodBook24 are SaaS tools that can record data offline and provide encrypted transfer to cloud storage on databases using Amazon Web Services. KoBoToolbox is a SaaS built on the Xform/ODK standard that provides field data collection, initial analysis and visualisation. FoodBook24 is a dietary assessment application that comprises 24-hour dietary recall (24HR) and a food frequency questionnaire. For this survey KoBoToolbox was used to create a bespoke supplementary dietary behaviours and lifestyle questionnaire, and a clinical examination record based on a modified WHO oral health assessment.
Results: Customised oral health survey forms were designed using KoBoToolbox to collect data from elite athletes via a clinical examination. FoodBook24 was provided for automated self-completed of 24HR on three different occasions and produce a nutrient report. The advantages over paper-based data collection in oral health survey projects include rapid recording on different platforms, incorporating skip logic and validation criteria, reduced errors in data transfer, a clear record of the data including any changes in form design and version control.
Conclusions: While there is a learning process and training is required to use these digital tools effectively, they provide a complete hosted solution service for designing, receiving and processing form submissions making the research process more effective, easier and reproducible.