Development and validation of a three-item questionnaire for dietitians to screen for poor oral health in people living with human immunodeficiency virus and facilitate dental referral

摘要

Aim: The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a three-item oral health questionnaire for use bydietitians in an ambulatory care setting to screen human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected patients at risk of oraldiseases to facilitate dental referral.Methods: The study was a questionnaire-based survey of 273 participants attending a human immunodeficiencyvirus clinic in Sydney, Australia. Subjects completed the oral health questionnaire and the Oral Health ImpactProfile-14 contemporaneously.Results: A statistically significant correlation (rho = 0.61 7 (95% Cl 0.54, 0.69), P< 0.0001) was found between theoral health questionnaire and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 indicating adequate validity. Sensitivity for thethree-question oral health questionnaire was found to be 84% (95% Cl 76, 89) with a specificity of 55% (95% Cl 46,63). The negative predictive value was 77 % (95% Cl 68, 85). A single screening question performed less wellcompared with overall sensitivity of the three-item oral health questionnaire.Conclusion: The present study found the three-item oral health questionnaire to be a valid and sensitive screeningtool to 'trigger' for further oral health assessment and referral to dental professionals. This is a useful tool fordietitians and other health-care workers involved in the multidisciplinary preventative care of people living withhuman immunodeficiency virus.