Developing and Testing of an Oral Health Screening Tool for Midwives to Assess Pregnant Woman

Ajesh George; Shilpi Ajwani; Maree Johnson; Hannah Dahlen; Anthony Blinkhorn; Sameer Bhole; Sharon Ellis; Catherine Zheng; William Dawes

doi:10.1080/07399332.2014.959170

Developing and Testing of an Oral Health Screening Tool for Midwives to Assess Pregnant Woman

Health Care Women Int. 2015;36(10):1160-74. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2014.959170. Epub 2014 Dec 11.

Authors

Ajesh George¹, Shilpi Ajwani², Maree Johnson³, Hannah Dahlen⁴, Anthony Blinkhorn⁵, Sameer Bhole², Sharon Ellis⁶, Catherine Zheng⁷, William Dawes⁸

Affiliations

¹ a Centre for Applied Nursing Research, University of Western Sydney (UWS); South Western Sydney Local Health District, University of Sydney; and Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.
² b Sydney Local Health District Oral Health Services and Sydney Dental Hospital; and Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.
³ c Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University , Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ d School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Western Sydney , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.
⁵ e Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.
⁶ f Antenatal Services, Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals, South Western Sydney Local Health District , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.
⁷ g Centre for Applied Nursing Research, University of Western Sydney; South Western Sydney Local Health District; and Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.
⁸ h Community Oral Health Clinics, Sydney Local Health District Oral Health Services; and Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.

PMID: 25299615
DOI: 10.1080/07399332.2014.959170

Abstract

Maternal oral health is important, and midwives are encouraged to screen women for dental problems. We aimed to develop and test a midwifery oral health screening tool. A three-item tool was tested as part of a trial involving 300 women in Southwestern Sydney. A two-item combination showed better sensitivity (98%) and had a positive predictive value of 88%. Specificity was 40%, and negative predictive value was 80%. A two-item screening tool has been identified that is sensitive to identifying dental problems and facilitating referrals. Further validation using a larger sample is required to reassess the tool's specificity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Australia
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Humans
Mass Screening / instrumentation*
Midwifery*
Oral Health*
Pregnancy
Prenatal Care*
Referral and Consultation
Sensitivity and Specificity
Surveys and Questionnaires*