Validity of parental ratings of child oral health

Objectives: To assess the validity of parental ratings of child oral health. Methods: Data were collected during a study designed to assess the psychosocial impacts of dental injury. Clinical data were collected on a random sample of children aged 11 to 14 years that included measures of decay experience (DMFT), treatment needs (urgent, non-urgent restorative, sealants, scaling, topical fluoride), dental trauma (Dental Trauma Index), fluorosis (Tooth Surface Index of Fluorosis) and malocclusion (aesthetic component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need). Children with trauma and an age and gender matched comparison group of trauma-free children were followed-up. Their parents were mailed a questionnaire concerning the child's personal and family characteristics. Also enclosed was a questionnaire for the child that contained a short form of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire11-14 (CPQ11-14). Bivariate analyses were undertaken to determine if there were associations between parental ratings of the child's oral health, measures of dental disease, clinically-defined treatment needs and scores on the CPQ11-14. Logistic regression was used to see if the associations observed remained after controlling for access to dental care variables. Results: Complete data were collected from 370 children and their parents. Parental ratings of child oral health were: Excellent – 36.1%, Good – 45.9% and Fair/Poor – 18.0%. The ratings showed significant associations with most of the clinical indicators used and CPQ 11-14 scores. Similar results were obtained when the data were analyzed for sub-groups defined by household income and mother's education. These associations remained after controlling for access to dental services. Conclusion: The data suggest that parental ratings of child oral health have adequate construct validity and can be used when parents must act as proxies for their children and in studies where data are collected from both parent and child.