Providing a Numerical Measure of Oral Health – Can it be Done and How Accurate is it?

Abstract

An Index of Oral Health (OHX) was developed by Burke and Wilson in the mid 90s. Use of the index involves assessing patient comfort and satisfaction in addition to the assessment of caries, periodontal disease, toothwear, mucosa, occlusion and dentures, where appropriate. On completion of this structured examination, the clinician arrives at an overall oral health index (OHX) for the patient, which is expressed as a fraction of the maximum achievable score. The index was modified by Denplan UK by amending the calculations to produce the Oral Health Score (OHS). The Reproducibility of the OHX and OHS was tested at Birmingham Dental Hospital and School during 2001 and 2002 and was found to be satisfactory. The dentists' opinions on the OHX and OHS were assessed by means of questionnaires. Most of the dentists felt that both were easy to use.