Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year
: 2014  |  Volume : 12  |  Issue : 1  |  Page : 4--8

Development and psychometric testing of a visual analog scale for dental fluorosis


R Ramya, CG Ajithkrishnan, K Thanveer 
 Department of Public Health Dentistry, KM Shah Dental College and Hospital, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth, Piparia, Vadodara, Gujarat, India

Correspondence Address:
R Ramya
A 302, Shreenath Classic, Natasha Park Residency 2, Nizampura, Vadodara 390 024, Gujarat
India

Objectives: The aim was to develop and psychometrically test a visual analog scale (VAS) for dental fluorosis. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, esthetic perceptions of varying severities of fluorosis in permanent maxillary incisor teeth presented in 36 photographs were graded on a 10 cm VAS by two groups - an expert panel of dental specialists and lay group comprising 1 st year dental students. The photographs were also graded using Thylstrup-Fejerskov index (TFI). Inter and intra-examiner reliability testing and comparison of specialists�SQ� and 1 st year students�SQ� perceptions were made using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Mean VAS values were validated against TFI scores using Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: A VAS for dental fluorosis was constructed with the help of mean values of subjective ratings for each of the photographs. Inter-rater reliability was found to be moderate (ICC = 0.59). The intra-rater reliability for both the lay group (ICC range: 0.91-0.98) and dental specialists�SQ� group (ICC range: 0.87-0.98) was found to be excellent. High correlation was obtained between lay group�SQ�s and dental specialists�SQ� perception of fluorosis on VAS (r = 0.93). VAS scores correlated moderately with TFI scores for the photographs (Spearman�SQ�s ρ = 0.725). All the findings were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The developed VAS was found to be a valid and reliable tool to assess dental fluorosis. Validation of the scale on a larger sample from the general population is recommended before it is applied in clinical and epidemiological settings.


How to cite this article:
Ramya R, Ajithkrishnan C G, Thanveer K. Development and psychometric testing of a visual analog scale for dental fluorosis.J Indian Assoc Public Health Dent 2014;12:4-8


How to cite this URL:
Ramya R, Ajithkrishnan C G, Thanveer K. Development and psychometric testing of a visual analog scale for dental fluorosis. J Indian Assoc Public Health Dent [serial online] 2014 [cited 2024 Mar 29 ];12:4-8
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