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Intra‐ and inter‐investigator reliabilities of oral moisture measured using an oral moisture‐checking device
Author(s) -
Takano Tomofumi,
Kugimiya Yoshihiro,
Morita Kuniko,
Tazawa Shiho,
Ueda Takayuki,
Sakurai Kaoru
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of oral rehabilitation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.991
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2842
pISSN - 0305-182X
DOI - 10.1111/joor.12919
Subject(s) - moisture , medicine , environmental science , statistics , mathematics , materials science , composite material
Abstract Background Oral mucosal moisture determined using oral moisture‐checking devices is used as a mouth dryness evaluation method. Such devices are capable of evaluating the state of mouth dryness in a simple manner and have applicability in a wide range of subjects; however, their intra‐ and inter‐investigator reliabilities have not yet been clarified. Objective This study aims to investigate the intra‐ and inter‐investigator reliabilities of measuring oral moisture using an oral moisture‐checking device for a wide range of age groups. Methods Intra‐ and inter‐investigator reliabilities were investigated in 28 young subjects and 19 older subjects aged ≥65 years. Three trained investigators independently measured oral mucosal moisture values using an oral moisture‐checking device. Intra‐investigator reliability was assessed using the coefficient of variation (CV) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (1.1), and inter‐investigator reliability was assessed using ICC (2.1). Results Mean CV was 0.015 and 0.016, mean ICC (1.1) was 0.806 and 0.877, and ICC (2.1) was 0.873 and 0.829 in the young and older subjects, respectively. Conclusion In young subjects, the mean values of ICC (1.1) and ICC (2.1) of the oral moisture‐checking device were 0.806 and 0.873, respectively, whereas in older subjects, these values were 0.877 and 0.829, respectively. Thus, this confirms that the examination of oral mucosal moisture using the oral moisture‐checking device has sufficient intra‐ and inter‐investigator reliabilities for a wide range of age groups.