Evaluation of the Oral Hygiene Ability Instrument (OHAI): Test of reliability

To evaluate the reliability of the new Oral Hygiene Ability Instrument (OHAI) developed to assess the cause of any inability for older adults to manage oral hygiene self-care. Oral hygiene is an important part of oral health. The inability to manage oral hygiene, combined with other risk factors, often results in poor oral health and impaired quality of life. A reliable OHAI could benefit preventive oral health care.

The preliminary OHAI uses 33 items in three parts: (I) interview, (II) clinical examination and (III) observation of oral hygiene activities. A total of 37 older adults participated in a test-retest study of Part I. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 65 years, have at least one tooth and be able to oral hygiene self-care. The intra- and inter-rater reliability of parts II and III used films and photographs of OHAI assessments of 15 different individuals. These films/photographs were assessed twice by four dental professionals who had participated in the OHAI data collection. For statistical analyses of the reliability, per cent agreement, Krippendorff's alpha and E. Svensson's method were used.

The test-retest for Part I items showed acceptable-to-good agreement and no systematic disagreement. In Part II, two items showed somewhat limited reliability. Part III showed good intra- and inter-rater reliability.

The OHAI items seem stable and reliable for the intended sample, and the instrument may be a valuable tool to identify older adults at risk of impaired oral health. However, two items may need to be reformulated.