title: Interexaminer reliability of the assessment of clinical furcation parameters as related to different probes.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the interexaminer reliability of the assessment of clinical furcation diagnosis. Horizontal attachment level (PAL-H) measurements were obtained by 3 examiners in 6 molars in each of 10 patients with advanced periodontitis. In each patient, 3 molars were examined using a 3 mm incrementally marked Nabers probe, and 3 molars were examined using a pressure-calibrated plastic probe (TPS). Assignment of the probe was random, and the schedule of examiners was changed for each patient. Clinical assessments were validated by intrasurgical measurements in 6 patients. Sixty molars with 152 furcations were investigated. Multifactorial analysis of variance revealed that PAL-H measurements were significantly influenced by examiner and furcation location, whereas type of probe and schedule of examination had no influence. The overall intraclass correlation coefficient was r = 0.695. The difference between clinical and intrasurgical PAL-H assessment was influenced by examiner and location but not by type of probe. Approximately 70% of the total variance of PAL-H measurements was due to the variance of true values, whereas 30% of the variance may be explained by interexaminer and intraexaminer variance. The pressure-calibrated TPS probe failed to increase the interexaminer reliability of PAL-H measurements when compared to a Nabers probe.
authors: Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, Dental School, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Germany. peter_eickholz@ukl.uni-heidelberg.de
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Eickholz
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Steinbrenner
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Lenhard
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Marquardt
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Holle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002138:Calibration; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D017823:Furcation Defects / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D015588:Observer Variation; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D010517:Periodontics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000473:pathology; D011312:Pressure; D015203:Reproducibility of Results