Self-reporting measures for periodontal disease: Are self-reported measures of periodontal disease valid?

Data sources Medline and bibliographies of identified studies.Study selectionOnly studies that validated the self-reporting of periodontal and or gingival disease were included.Data extraction and synthesisData on population characteristics, sampling criteria, method of self-reporting (self-assessment, questionnaire, interview) self-reported questions, clinical gold standards and the results of the validation study were recorded by a single abstracter and verified by a second author. Qualitative summary was carried out due to variation in reported statistical methods.ResultsSixteen studies were included, seven specific for gingivitis, four included only periodontitis with five including both gingivitis and periodontitis.ConclusionsSome measures show promise, but results varied across populations and self-reported measures. Potentially higher validity could be obtained by using several self-reported questions and other predictors of periodontal disease. © 2006 EBD.