title: Effect of patient age awareness on diagnostic agreement of chronic or aggressive periodontitis between clinicians; a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this pilot study was to test whether diagnostic agreement of aggressive and chronic periodontitis amongst Board Certified Periodontists, is influenced by knowledge of a patient's age. In 1999 at the International World Workshop age was removed as a diagnostic criteria for aggressive periodontitis. The impact of this change on the diagnostic reliability amongst clinicians has not yet been assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine periodontal case reports were twice presented to sixteen board certified periodontists, once with age withheld and again with patient age provided. Participants were instructed to choose a diagnosis of Chronic Periodontitis or Aggressive Periodontitis. Diagnostic agreement was calculated using the Fleiss Kappa test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Including the patients' age in case report information increased diagnostic agreement (the kappa statistic) from 0.49 (moderate agreement) to 0.61 (substantial agreement).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that knowledge of a patients' age influenced clinical diagnosis, when distinguishing between aggressive periodontitis and chronic periodontitis, which may in turn impact treatment decision-making.
authors.affiliation: New York University College of Dentistry, Advanced Education Program in Periodontics, 345 East 24th Street, New York, NY, 10016, USA. Sro245@nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7473-3694
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oshman
authors.affiliation: New York University College of Dentistry, Advanced Education Program in Periodontics, 345 East 24th Street, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Edgard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: El Chaar
authors.affiliation: New York University College of Dentistry, Advanced Education Program in Periodontics, 345 East 24th Street, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Yoonjung Nicole
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: New York University College of Dentistry, Advanced Education Program in Periodontics, 345 East 24th Street, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Engebretson
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D010520:Aggressive Periodontitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055113:Chronic Periodontitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Aggressive periodontitis; Chronic periodontitis; Periodontal diagnosis; Periodontal disease