Partial- or Full-Mouth Examination Assessing the Dental and Prosthetic Status among Elderly Individuals

Abstract - The aim of this study was to determine whether half-mouth examinations accurately reflect the dental and prosthetic status of the entire mouth. Samples of 1,830 adults aged 55-79 years were examined. The rate of agreement between half- and full-mouth examinations was estimated using weighted and unweighted Kappa values comparing findings of each tooth bilaterally. A power analysis was performed to estimate the number of subjects representing complete dental recordings within a certain power. Subjects showed unweighted Kappa values from 0.34-0.96. Weighted Kappa values ranged from 0.74-0.99. A power analysis for unweighted Kappa scores computed that findings from 122-335 individuals were necessary to equal the results obtained using complete dental recordings.

KEY WORDS: Dental Status, Elderly, Kappa, Full Mouth Examination, Cross-sectional Study, Power analysis