Practitioner evaluation of a novel online integrated oral health and risk assessment tool: a practice pilot

To report the development and evaluation of an evidence-based, online, patient assessment tool, capable of measuring oral health status, future disease risk and capitation fee guidance.

An online integrated oral health and risk assessment tool called DEPPA was developed, incorporating 1) PreViser(™) risk scores for periodontal disease, caries, non-carious tooth surface loss and oral cancer, 2) revised versions of Denplan Excel's Oral Health Score and 3) capitation fee guidance score. DEPPA was piloted by 25 dentists who provided quantitative and qualitative feedback.

Six hundred and forty assessments were performed. There was strong agreement on the need for such a tool, that it constituted a comprehensive assessment and supported good patient communication. The validity of the system was perceived as sound and the revised capitation fee guidance broadly welcomed. While some deemed the caries risk scoring algorithm to be too sensitive, the 30% high/very high risk rating is consistent with current rates of active caries in UK adults.

A viable online oral health and risk-assessment tool has been developed (DEPPA) that will allow dental teams to measure oral health status, future disease risk and receive ongoing guidance on capitation fee setting. The indications are that DEPPA could be a valuable audit, care planning and patient communication tool.