Examining the accuracy of caregivers' assessments of young children's oral health status

摘要

Background: Caregivers' perceptions of their young children's oral health status (OHS) are a strong determinant of whether the children visit a dentist. Our aims were to quantify the correlation between caregivers' assessments and their children's clinically determined restorative treatment needs, while investigating factors related to this association. Methods: One hundred eight caregivers assessed their children's OHS by answering a question on the self-reported National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III instrument. Children underwent clinical oral examinations at one of two study sites of the Carolina Oral Health Literacy Project: a dental school-based clinic and a community-based health clinic. Examiners recorded the children's clinical treatment needs by using a modification of the caries severity index. The authors quantified concordance between the two measures with use of the Spearman rank correlation (p) and Kendall t rank correlation, whereas they assessed differences in sociodemographic factors and oral health literacy (OHL) levels by using a homogeneity X 2test (P .2 criterion). Results: The concordance between caregivers' assessments and clinically determined OHS was lower for younger children ( 2 years, p = 0.29 versus s 2 years, p = 0.63 [homogeneity P =.03]), a pattern that was evident in the community clime but not in the university clinic. Caregivers' age, education and OHL did not influence the accuracy of self-reports. Conclusions: For children younger than 2 years, caregivers' assessments correlated poorly with clinical needs, which routinely were underestimated. Practice Implications: These findings underscore the importance of preventive dental visits at a young age and the early establishment of a dental home.