IADR Abstract Archives
Inter-examiner and intra-examiner reliability of gag reflex measurement
Objectives: Gagging problems usually deter treatment in dental patients; however, a unified management strategy for gaging may not exist. A reliable assessment method is required for evidence-based management of the gag reflex. We tested the inter-examiner and intra-examiner reliability of gag reflex measurement to assess dental problems associated with an individual’s gagging and evaluated sex differences in this measurement.
Methods: Twenty-one healthy individuals (10 women and 11 men; mean age 27.1±9.9 years; age range 19-49 years) participated in this study. To measure the gag reflex, an examiner inserted a standard saliva ejector (143-mm-long with a 6.5-mm diameter) gradually down the participant’s throat along the palate. When the maximum tolerance of the gag reflex was reached, the distance of the saliva ejector from the maxillary central incisor was measured as an index of gag reflex measurement. Under the same conditions, these measurements were obtained by one examiner at two different sessions (S1 and S3), and by another examiner at one session (S2). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis.
Results: The ICCs for the gag reflex measurement were 0.91 between S1 and S2, reflecting inter-examiner reliability, and 0.93 between S1 and S3, reflecting intra-examiner reliability. Neither gag reflex measurement-related sex differences (P=0.28) nor the main effect of session (S1 vs. S2 vs. S3) or interaction effect (sex × session) were significant (P=0.43 and 0.22, respectively).
Conclusions: The present method of measuring gag reflex exhibited excellent inter-examiner and intra-examiner reliability, which was unaffected by sex. This previously unreported method of measuring gag reflex appears to have potential for both clinical and laboratory-based application.
Methods: Twenty-one healthy individuals (10 women and 11 men; mean age 27.1±9.9 years; age range 19-49 years) participated in this study. To measure the gag reflex, an examiner inserted a standard saliva ejector (143-mm-long with a 6.5-mm diameter) gradually down the participant’s throat along the palate. When the maximum tolerance of the gag reflex was reached, the distance of the saliva ejector from the maxillary central incisor was measured as an index of gag reflex measurement. Under the same conditions, these measurements were obtained by one examiner at two different sessions (S1 and S3), and by another examiner at one session (S2). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis.
Results: The ICCs for the gag reflex measurement were 0.91 between S1 and S2, reflecting inter-examiner reliability, and 0.93 between S1 and S3, reflecting intra-examiner reliability. Neither gag reflex measurement-related sex differences (P=0.28) nor the main effect of session (S1 vs. S2 vs. S3) or interaction effect (sex × session) were significant (P=0.43 and 0.22, respectively).
Conclusions: The present method of measuring gag reflex exhibited excellent inter-examiner and intra-examiner reliability, which was unaffected by sex. This previously unreported method of measuring gag reflex appears to have potential for both clinical and laboratory-based application.