Validity of self-reported tooth counts during a telephone screening interview

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Dental Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Telephone screening is a common, efficient method for identifying specific populations in health services research.
• Accurate data collection is crucial for understanding population oral health status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of telephone screening in collecting tooth count data.
• To determine the validity of self-reported tooth counts from telephone surveys compared to clinical examinations.

Main Methods:

• A large-scale telephone screening survey was conducted in north Florida to identify dentate individuals aged 45 and older.
• A subset of participants underwent a baseline in-person interview and clinical examination for comparison.
• Tooth counts from the telephone interview were compared with those from the clinical examination.

Main Results:

• The telephone method demonstrated effectiveness in gathering tooth count information, with response rates varying by data specificity.
• High cooperation was observed for nominal and ordinal tooth count data, while interval-level reporting was lower.
• Self-reported tooth counts were valid for the overall sample but showed variability at the individual subject level, influenced by clinical and sociodemographic factors.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported tooth counts from telephone interviews are sufficiently valid for aggregate analysis in most research scenarios.
• Individual-level tooth count validity may be compromised, necessitating consideration of data specificity and subject characteristics.