Using Dental Register Information and Questionnaire Data to Assess Periodontitis in Large Cohort Studies.

Area of Science:

• Dental Research
• Periodontology
• Public Health

Background:

• Periodontitis research is limited by the need for extensive clinical data.
• Proxy variables are crucial for expanding large-scale cohort studies on periodontitis.
• Validating existing data sources is essential for accurate epidemiological research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the accuracy of questionnaire items and registry data as proxies for severe periodontitis (Stage III-IV).
• To evaluate the utility of the Dental Health Register (DHR) and Swedish Quality Register for Caries and Periodontal Disease (SKaPa) for periodontitis research.
• To determine if combining questionnaire data with demographic factors improves periodontitis identification.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 995 participants in the Malmö Offspring Dental Study (MODS).
• Compared periodontal examinations and panoramic radiography with questionnaire responses, DHR periodontal treatment procedures (PTP), and SKaPa probing depth data.
• Defined Stage III-IV periodontitis as the reference standard for proxy validation.

Main Results:

• The DHR PTP proxy demonstrated high positive predictive value (88%) and negative predictive value (87%) for Stage III-IV periodontitis.
• The SKaPa proxy showed lower positive predictive values (<70%) but comparable area under the curve (AUC) to DHR data (0.76 vs. 0.74).
• Questionnaire data combined with age, sex, smoking, and education achieved good discriminatory ability (AUC >0.75).

Conclusions:

• Register-based data, particularly from the DHR, are effective for identifying severe periodontitis cases in large cohorts.
• These validated proxy variables significantly enhance the potential for large-scale periodontal research.
• The findings support the use of routinely collected dental data for epidemiological studies.