title: Interexaminer agreement dental caries epidemiological surveys: the importance of disease prevalence in the sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify desirable characteristics, including different sample sizes and dental caries prevalences, in virtual samples that allow, at the same time, higher values of general agreement percentage (GPA) and Kappa coefficient (κ), under a low confidence interval (CI), in reproducibility studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 384 statistical simulations of inter-examiner calibration, varying sample size (12, 15, 20, 60, 200 and 500 individuals), caries prevalence (30, 50, 60 and 90%) and percentages of positive (PA) and negative (NA) agreement (30, 50, 60 and 90%) were undertaken. GPA and κ were used to measure reproducibility and define deviation between them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample of 60 individuals, under caries prevalence of 50%, PA and NA of 90%, presented a GPA and Kappa values of 90 and 80%, respectively, a relative small confidence interval (95%CI 0.65 - 0.95) and a GPA/Kappa deviation of 10.00.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A virtual sample of 60 individuals, under caries prevalence of 50%, seems feasible to produce a satisfactory interexaminer agreement at epidemiological conditions. However, epidemiological studies to corroborate or refute this assertion are necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Universidade Federal do Maranhão - São Luís (MA), Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline Sampieri
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Tonello
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Health, Universidade Federal de Viçosa - Viçosa (MG), Brazil.
authors.forename: Renato Pereira da
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Nova Friburgo Dental School, Universidade Federal Fluminense - Nova Friburgo (RJ), Brazil.
authors.forename: Andréa Videira
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Assaf
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, Piracicaba Dental School, Universidade de Campinas - Piracicaba (SP), Brazil.
authors.forename: Gláucia Maria Bovi
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ambrosano
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics and Public Health, Universidade de São Paulo - Bauru (SP), Brazil.
authors.forename: Silvia Helena de Carvalho Salles
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Peres
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, Piracicaba Dental School, Universidade de Campinas - Piracicaba (SP), Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Carlos
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, Piracicaba Dental School, Universidade de Campinas - Piracicaba (SP), Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo de Castro
authors.initials: Mde C
authors.lastname: Meneghim
mesh_terms: D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003753:Dental Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018401:Sample Size