Standardised Practice-Based Oral Health Data Collection: A Pilot Study in Different Countries.

BACKGROUND

The Oral Health Observatory (OHO), launched in 2014 by FDI World Dental Federation, aims to provide a coordinated approach to international oral health data collection. A feasibility project involving 12 countries tested the implementation of the methodology and data collection tools and assessed data quality from 6 countries.

METHODS

National dental associations (NDAs) recruited dentists following a standardised sampling method. Dentists and patients completed paired questionnaires (N = 7907) about patients' demographics, dental attendance, oral health-related behaviours, oral impacts, and clinical measures using a mobile app. In addition, participating dentists (n = 93) completed an evaluation survey, and NDAs completed a survey and participated in workshops to assess implementation feasibility.

RESULTS

Feasibility data are presented from the 12 participating countries. In addition, the 6 countries most advanced with data collection as of July 2020 (China, Colombia, India, Italy, Japan, and Lebanon) were included in the assessment of data quality and qualitative evaluation of implementation feasibility. All NDAs in these 6 countries reported interest in collecting standardised, international data for policy and communication activities and to understand service use and needs. Eighty-two percent of dentists (n = 76) reported a patient response rate of between 80% and 100%. More than 70% (n = 71) of dentists were either satisfied or very satisfied with the patient recruitment and data collection methods. There were variations in patient oral health and behaviours across countries, such as self-reporting twice-daily brushing which ranged from 45% in India to 83% in Colombia.

CONCLUSIONS

OHO provides a feasible model for collecting international standardised data in dental practices. Reducing time implications, ensuring mobile app reliability, and allowing practitioners to access patient-reported outcomes to inform practice may enhance implementation.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Conflict of interest Steve Mason is employed by Haleon (formally known as  GSK Consumer Healthcare). He reports no other conflicts of interest regarding the work under consideration for publication or relevant financial activities outside the submitted work. Sean Taylor, Sarah R. Baker, Tom Broomhead, Rachael England, Michael Sereny, Georgios Tsakos, and David M. Williams report no conflicts of interest regarding the work under consideration for publication, no relevant financial activities outside the submitted work, and no patents or copyrights.