IADR Abstract Archives
Validating self-reported periodontitis in a Singapore community-based sample
Objectives: Self-reported measures of oral health are useful tools for large scale epidemiological studies and population disease surveillance. However, few studies have examined the validity of self-reported measures of periodontal disease in Southeast Asia, and most have used a clinic-based recruitment of the validation sample. Therefore, we aimed to assess the validity of self-reported measures of periodontal disease in a community-based Singapore population sample.
Methods: Cross-sectional oral health data from an existing observational cohort provided an opportunity to validate self-reported periodontitis among a sample of 256 participants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American Academy of Periodontology (CDC/AAP) self-reported questionnaire (8 items) for periodontal disease was used and validated against full mouth periodontal examinations done by a single examiner. Periodontitis status was defined using the CDC/AAP classification of periodontal disease. Univariate analyses for the predictive ability of individual questions for severe periodontitis were conducted. Multivariable logistic regressions and AUROC were used to assess the performance of self-reported items with the addition of socio-demographic and risk factor variables.
Results: The participants had a mean age of 49±10 years, 55% were female, and prevalence of moderate and severe periodontitis as per CDC/APP classification were 45% and 21% respectively. Having a tooth become loose on its own was the best performing individual self-reported measure (OR: 4.8; 95%CI: 2.2 – 10.5). The combination of two self-reported questions (having gum disease; mobile tooth) together with socio-demographic information on age, gender, and ethnicity had good discrimination for severe periodontitis (AUC = 0.82 95% CI 0.76-0.88) and demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 78% and 78% respectively in this population.
Conclusions: Conclusions: Specific questions from the self-reported CDC/AAP questionnaire were useful for identifying individuals with severe periodontitis in this Singapore sample. Future studies examining the validity of these measures as well as other newly developed self-reported items in larger community-based populations are needed.
Methods: Cross-sectional oral health data from an existing observational cohort provided an opportunity to validate self-reported periodontitis among a sample of 256 participants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American Academy of Periodontology (CDC/AAP) self-reported questionnaire (8 items) for periodontal disease was used and validated against full mouth periodontal examinations done by a single examiner. Periodontitis status was defined using the CDC/AAP classification of periodontal disease. Univariate analyses for the predictive ability of individual questions for severe periodontitis were conducted. Multivariable logistic regressions and AUROC were used to assess the performance of self-reported items with the addition of socio-demographic and risk factor variables.
Results: The participants had a mean age of 49±10 years, 55% were female, and prevalence of moderate and severe periodontitis as per CDC/APP classification were 45% and 21% respectively. Having a tooth become loose on its own was the best performing individual self-reported measure (OR: 4.8; 95%CI: 2.2 – 10.5). The combination of two self-reported questions (having gum disease; mobile tooth) together with socio-demographic information on age, gender, and ethnicity had good discrimination for severe periodontitis (AUC = 0.82 95% CI 0.76-0.88) and demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 78% and 78% respectively in this population.
Conclusions: Conclusions: Specific questions from the self-reported CDC/AAP questionnaire were useful for identifying individuals with severe periodontitis in this Singapore sample. Future studies examining the validity of these measures as well as other newly developed self-reported items in larger community-based populations are needed.