title: Validity of self-reported history of endodontic treatment in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Self-reported history of endodontic treatment (SRHET) has been used as a simplified method to estimate the history of endodontic disease and treatment. This study aimed to quantify the validity of SRHET, as reported in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), as a method to identify individuals who experienced endodontic treatment (ET) and to identify individuals who present with apical periodontitis (AP).
  
  
  METHODS
  SRHET was collected through the BLSA questionnaire in 247 participants. Data on ET and AP were determined from panoramic radiographs. The total number of ET, AP, and missing teeth were recorded for each individual. The validity of SRHET was determined based on ET and AP separately. Accuracy, efficiency, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (+PV and -PV), and positive and negative likelihood ratios (+LR and -LR) were calculated according to standard methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After exclusions, 229 participants were available for ET analysis and 129 for AP analysis. The SRHET validity values were sensitivity (ET = 0.915, AP = 0.782), specificity (ET = 0.891, AP = 0.689), +PV (ET = 0.824, AP = 0.353), -PV (ET = 0.949, AP = 0.936), +LR (ET = 8.394, AP = 2.514), and -LR (ET = 0.095, AP = 0.316).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SRHET was found to be a highly accurate method to predict ET but a weak predictor of the presence of AP among participants in the BLSA.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. endomax@gmail.com
authors.forename: Maximiliano Schünke
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Fernando Neves
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Hugo
authors.forename: Juliana Balbinot
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Hilgert
authors.forename: Dalva Maria Pereira
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Padilha
authors.forename: Eleanor Marie
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Simonsick
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.forename: Mark Allan
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reynolds
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015142:Baltimore; D004522:Educational Status; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010485:Periapical Periodontitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D012390:Root Canal Therapy; D057566:Self Report; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000145:classification; D019553:Tooth, Nonvital / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult