title: Dental Discomfort Questionnaire: its use with children with a learning disability.
abstract: This study investigated whether the behaviors from the Dental Discomfort Questionnaire (DDQ) could help identify toothaches in children with a learning disability, who have a limited capacity to self-report. The objectives were to examine whether the behaviors from the DDQ occur more often in children with a learning disability who have caries and a toothache than in children who do not have caries and a toothache; and secondly, to examine whether two additional items increase the specificity and sensitivity of the DDQ to recognize a toothache, in this particular population of children with a learning disability. The DDQ was completed by a convenience sample of 58 parents on behalf of their children: 31% girls, aged between 6 and 13 years (mean = 7.5, SD = 2.7). Of the total group, 26% (n = 15) suffered from a toothache and 43% (n = 25) had carious teeth. Children with caries and a toothache had a significantly higher mean DDQ score and displayed more toothache-related behaviors (e.g., problems with chewing, problems with brushing teeth) than children without caries or toothache. The DDQ seems to be a functional and easy-to-use instrument to alert parents to the presence of a toothache in this specific group of children with a learning disability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. jversloot@psych.ubc.ca
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Versloot
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hall-Scullin
authors.forename: Jaap S J
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Veerkamp
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis; D002658:Developmental Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities; D008297:Male; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014098:Toothache / Q000175:diagnosis*