Hakeem FF, AlQobaly L, Mubarak AM, Almuzaini SA. Validity of self-reported number of teeth among Saudi older adults: A public health perspective.
J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2024;
19:122-129. [PMID:
37964862 PMCID:
PMC10641271 DOI:
10.1016/j.jtumed.2023.10.001]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives
This study aimed to evaluate the agreement between self-reported and clinically measured numbers of teeth in older adults from Almadinah Almunawwarah, KSA, and to identify factors associated with self-reporting accuracy.
Methods
This study included 337 older adults (≥60 years). Participants completed a survey assessing sociodemographic characteristics, self-rated oral and general health, and the self-reported number of teeth. Clinical examination was conducted using the 2013 criteria published by the World Health Organization. Bland-Altman plots and correlation coefficients were used to assess the agreement between self-reported and clinically measured teeth.
Results
The mean age of the study participants was 67.1 (SD = 6.5) years, and the majority were males (71.2%). The self-reported teeth count was higher than the clinically measured number, and only 47.7% (n = 161) of the sample showed complete agreement between the two measures. The mean difference between the self-reported and clinically recorded number of teeth was 0.41 teeth, and almost two-thirds of the study participants reported their number of teeth within an error margin of two teeth (p < 0.001). Both Spearman's and Pearson's correlation methods revealed a significant positive correlation between the two measures. Specifically, the Spearman's rho was 0.91, while Pearson's r coefficient was 0.96.
Conclusion
Among Saudi older adults, the self-reported number of teeth correlated with the clinically measured numbers of teeth. This suggests that self-reports can be a reliable and cost-effective method for assessing oral health in large-scale surveys, potentially guiding health policies and interventions for older adults.
Collapse