Reliability of a self-administered questionnaire for screening for medical problems in dentistry

The importance of a medical history to identify potential problems in dental management is self-evident but the means of collecting medical data vary widely. This study has assessed the reliability of a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) used by 292 randomly selected adult dental out-patients (mean age 41.7 years) attending the oral medicine clinic of a dental teaching hospital. Results of the SAQ were compared with the history taken by receiving surgeons. Significant discrepancies were revealed not only in the SAQ but also in the history taken by the receiving surgeon, although the latter produced a more comprehensive record. Maximum yield of information regarding known medical problems was only produced by using the self-administered questionnaire with a check of this by the receiving surgeon.