title: Validity of the self-reported number of natural teeth in Japanese adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this research were to assess the validity of self-reporting of the number of teeth by comparing the number with that obtained through clinical dental examinations, and to investigate factors affecting the discordance between the two measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-administered questionnaires and dental examinations were conducted among 1152 dentate community residents in Japan. The validity of the patients' reports of the number of teeth was assessed by comparing the self-reported number with that determined at the clinical examination. Factors affecting the absolute value of the difference between the self-reported number of teeth and the number at clinical examination were investigated using a multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 47.5% of participants had perfect agreement in their self-report with the clinical examination. There was a slight tendency toward underestimation of the number of natural teeth by self-reporting. Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.80, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.78 for all patients. Decayed, filled, sound teeth, and fixed prosthetic pontics were significantly associated with the absolute value of the difference between self-reports and clinical examinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients' reported number of remaining teeth, the data for which were collected via the questionnaire, provided reasonably valid data on the actual number of teeth within a population group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Health Promotion, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. ueno.ohp@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zaitsu
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinada
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003442:Crowns; D004245:DMF Index; D015921:Dental Implants; D003817:Dentition; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed; D003832:Denture, Partial, Removable; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants
keywords: dental examination; natural teeth; oral health status; self-reporting; validity