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Validity of information concerning the use of dental services obtained in interviews
Author(s) -
Norheim P. W.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1979.tb01192.x
Subject(s) - respondent , medicine , criterion validity , construct validity , socioeconomic status , attendance , population , external validity , family medicine , clinical psychology , dentistry , psychometrics , environmental health , social psychology , psychology , political science , law , economics , economic growth
Two hundred and fifty‐two persons out of a population of 358 were interviewed concerning their use of dental services. The validity of the information was tested by comparing the answers from each respondent with the contents of his/her dental treatment record. Replies to a question about the time interval since the last dental visit showed a high degree of validity. The validity of information concerning the type of treatment received at the last course of dental visits showed high validity for a single treatment and low validity when the treatment services were mixed. Responses about the regularity of treatment attendance demonstrated decreasing degree of validity with increasing number of dental visits during the last 5 years. The demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents showed little relation to the validity of their answers. However, the degree of validity decreased with increasing number of teeth.