Suominen-Taipale Anna Liisa, Widström Eeva, Sund Reijo
National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland.
Open Dent J. 2009 Apr 16;3:59-67. doi: 10.2174/1874210600903010059.
The objective was to assess the effect of examination rates on national caries indices of 5, 12 and 17-year-old children/adolescents in Finland. The data were gathered from patient records of the Public Dental Service (PDS) units (n=205, 73%) and from a national register. The data included PDS-specific total numbers of examined children/adolescents and means of decayed (d/D) teeth, dmft/DMFT-values and proportions of caries-free. For analytical purposes, the PDS-specific mean values weighted by the PDS population were calculated to imply the traditionally calculated figures. New PDS-specific examination-rate-adjusted mean values were calculated by using the predicted outcome values at 100% examination rates. The results showed that low examination rates were associated with slightly poorer oral health. The examination-rate-adjusted mean d/D- values indicated better oral health than the traditional indices. The adjustment slightly worsened oral health in proportions of caries-free, and had almost no effect on dmft/DMFT-value. Overall, the influence was modest. The high proportions of healthy children that are examined (against recommendation) and the relatively small number of those having extensive disease (frequently examined as recommended) probably mask the influence of examination rates on the indices in Finland. We conclude that in international comparisons, traditionally calculated indices seem to be sufficiently valid.
目的是评估检查率对芬兰5岁、12岁和17岁儿童/青少年全国龋齿指数的影响。数据收集自公共牙科服务（PDS）单位的患者记录（n = 205，占73%）以及一个国家登记处。数据包括PDS特定的接受检查的儿童/青少年总数、龋坏（d/D）牙齿平均数、dmft/DMFT值以及无龋比例。为了进行分析，计算了按PDS人口加权的PDS特定平均值，以得出传统计算的数字。通过使用100%检查率下的预测结果值，计算了新的经PDS特定检查率调整的平均值。结果表明，低检查率与稍差的口腔健康状况相关。经检查率调整的平均d/D值表明口腔健康状况优于传统指数。这种调整在无龋比例方面使口腔健康状况略有恶化，而对dmft/DMFT值几乎没有影响。总体而言，影响较小。接受检查（与建议相悖）的健康儿童比例较高，以及患有广泛疾病的儿童数量相对较少（按建议经常接受检查），这可能掩盖了检查率对芬兰指数的影响。我们得出结论，在国际比较中，传统计算的指数似乎足够有效。
