Oral Health Questionnaire Research Articles

A comparison of a computer‐based questionnaire and personal interviews in determining oral health‐related behaviours

A major challenge for survey-based research is to reduce bias. In an interview, subjects may claim more favourable behaviour to please the interviewer or comply with accepted norms. This study aimed to: (i) determine if adolescents give different answers when using a self-completed computer-administered oral health questionnaire compared with a personal interview, (ii) ascertain if responses to a face-to-face interview are dependant on whether a dentist or nonclinical researcher administered the questionnaire and (iii) examine if responses were influenced by whether they undertook the computer questionnaire first or second. A randomized crossover design was used to investigate the responses to 15 closed questions on oral health-related practices. These were administered to 453, 12-year olds attending school dental inspections in South Wales. A total of 449 valid pairings of computer/interview responses were available for analysis. Responses to the questionnaire variables demonstrated good to very good levels of agreement (kappa 0.68-0.90) when comparing the face-to-face and computer-administered questionnaire. With the exception of questions on dental attendance, responses were not influenced by whether the questions were posed by the research officer or the dentist. A minimal order effect could be detected when undertaking the computer-administered questionnaire first. Whilst a study such as this cannot determine the true validity of the responses achieved, it is concluded that a computer-administered questionnaire, comprising closed questions, can be utilized to determine oral health-related behaviours in oral health surveys.

Oral health status of an industrial population in Romania

The purpose of this survey was to assess the oral health situation of an industrial population in Romania. A total of 311 male and female employees (18-62 years-of-age) were clinically examined according to the WHO Basic Methods criteria and responded to an oral health questionnaire on dental knowledge and health care habits. In the younger age groups, the amount of untreated dental caries was high (18-24 years: DT = 5.7, DMFT = 8.9) whereas missing teeth were prominent in older employees (45 years or more: MT = 7.6, DMFT = 11.9). At age 25-44, 72 per cent had gingival bleeding and calculus. Dental knowledge was relatively poor, and 28 per cent of the participants indicated actual need for treatment. Dental visits within the previous 12 months were reported by 24 per cent of the employees, and 39 per cent had had a tooth extracted at their most recent visit. The study emphasises the need for reorientation of oral health care in Romania, and the relevance of industrial dental services for the implementation of oral health promotion and prevention is highlighted.

Effect of treatment of malignant disease on growth in children.

The growth of 95 children with malignant disease was studied over a 3- or 4-year period, and compared with the growth of normal children matched for age and sex by calculation of the standard deviation score. The mean standard deviation score of the children with leukaemia fell in the first year of treatment, and thereafter showed little change, remaining below the normal. This effect was related to cranial and craniospinal irradiation, but not to age or duration of chemotherapy. The loss in eventual height attained was small and does not suggest any long-term interference with growth hormone production.