Validation of a Simplified Digital Periodontal Health Screening Module for General Dental Practitioners

Abstract

As a silent disease, individuals at risk of periodontitis are not easily identified until the disease has become severe. Early detection at the community level is essential, especially for general dental practitioners. The aim of this study was to design a comprehensive, user-friendly tool to screen patients’ periodontal health at community level and to evaluate users’ acceptance of its use. The periodontal health screening module was first developed by an expert panel of periodontists, public health specialists and general dentists. The developed module was tested for content acceptance on 156 graduating dental students from three public schools and later validated by 12 private general dental practitioners (GDPs) for reliability. Most of the students (64.1%) found the new module an easy assessment tool for periodontal health compared to the Basic Periodontal Examination (BPE). Most claimed that they understand the contents (80.8%) and accepted the designs (86.6%) and agreed (82.7%) that the new assessment module would allow them to screen patients anytime in the clinic. The interrater reliability as assessed between the GDPs and the investigators revealed acceptable agreement ranging from 62.5–100.0% (mean 89.6 ± 10.2%). The simplified digital periodontal health screening module showed promising acceptance for application in private general dental clinics.

Periodontal Status of Tuberculosis patients - Inter linked with each other

“…Predisposing factors such as a history of TB, chronic bronchitis, neoplasms, diabetes, HIV, alcoholism, and drug addiction are equally important to consider in patients suspected of suffering from TB 16 . Numerous research has attempted to link periodontal disease to tuberculosis, but the findings have been contradictory 1,[3][4][5]7,14 . Studies have previously been proposed that link periodontal disease to a range of systemic ailments, including diabetes mellitus 17 , coronary artery disease 18 , stroke, and respiratory illnesses 19 .…”

“…A clinical periodontal examination is the gold standard for detecting early signs of periodontal disease 1,2 . Periodontal clinical examination is expensive, time-consuming, and requires specially trained personnel 3,4 .…”

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Patients' Self-perception of Periodontal Diseases

“…In 2022, a study by Mohd Said from Malaysia recommended the use of validated simplified digital periodontal health screening software for identification of PD at early stage in dental practice. 30 This identification tool appeared simple and appropriate to be used for screening of PDs. This showed an effort have been made to initiate the link from the general dental practice to specialist care.…”