Related Experiment Videos
Are photographic records reliable for orthodontic screening?
1Department of Oral Health and Development, University Dental Hospital of Manchester, UK. mdtmsnam@fs1.den.man.ac.uk
Aim:
The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability of a panel of orthodontists for accepting new patient referrals based on clinical photographs.
Sample:
Eight orthodontists from Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Chester, and Derbyshire observed clinical photographs of 40 consecutive new patients attending the orthodontic department, Hope Hospital, Salford.
Method:
They recorded whether or not they would accept the patient, as a new patient referral, in their department. Each consultant was asked to take into account factors, such as oral hygiene, dental development, and severity of the malocclusion.
Statistics:
Kappa statistic for multiple-rater agreement and kappa statistic for intra-observer reliability were calculated.
Results:
Inter-observer panel agreement for accepting new patient referrals based on photographic information was low (multiple rater kappa score 0.37). Intra-examiner agreement was better (kappa range 0.34-0.90).
Conclusion:
Clinician agreement for screening and accepting orthodontic referrals based on clinical photographs is comparable to that previously reported for other clinical decision making.