Develop and evaluate an oral hygiene screening tool
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development and evaluation of an oral hygiene screening tool for use in medically compromised patients.
IRAS ID
193049
Contact name
Fahad Bahammam
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Hospital in-patients may have compromised oral hygiene if they are unable to perform their usual self-care. This could lead to an increase in the amounts of oral debris and dental plaque, a softly deposited material that appears white or pale yellow in colour and attaches to teeth, which could be a risk factor in unwell patients to develop serious and fatal upper respiratory complications. The main aim of this project is to develop and evaluate an oral hygiene screening tool measure based on photographic images and that may be used to identify medically compromised patients who are at risk.
This study will be conducted in three phases:
1. Literature review and development of a new assessment method for evaluating oral hygiene in a hospital setting: The Oral Hygiene Evaluation Index (OHEI).
2. Construct validity of the OHEI:
The research team will evaluate the feasibility of using the OHEI to assess oral hygiene by employing intraoral photographic images of 39 previous research participants for whom photographs were taken before and after oral hygiene interventions. The face validity of the index will be examined by obtaining feedback on the index from UK-registered dentists, hygienists and non-dental health care professionals. Construct validity will be assessed by the research team by way of using the OHEI to score oral hygiene using a selection of photographs (n=30). Refinement of the index and scoring methods will occur whenever it is needed.
3. Internal consistency phase:
Two medical nurses and two hygienists will be recruited to evaluate the intraoral photographic images using the OHIE. The assessment will be done using a standardised audio-visual setup. Evaluation will be carried out twice, with a one-week break period to assess the reproducibility of the index.
The study will be funded by Newcastle University, and all participants will be recruited from Newcastle Dental Hospital.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EM/0120
Date of REC Opinion
9 Mar 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion