| 英文摘要 |
Background: Despite the abundance of related literatures on factors related to oral health, most of them target on cancer patients. Assessments focusing on oral health of long-term institution residents remain rare. In addition, oral health assessment scales are mostly designed for dentists in clinical trials and have not been designed for non-dental professional. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to validate the Chinese version of the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT), specifically designed for non-dental professionals (including nurses ). Methods: Chalmers and Schilling (2004) developed the OHAT as a screening tool of oral health assessment for demented residents. The Chinese OHAT was developed through translation and back translation and tested by a purpose sampling of 116 nursing home demented residents in southern Taiwan. We examined its reliability and construct validity by concurrent validity and hypothesis testing. Results: The results on reliability: Firstly, the OHAT yielded acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α= .598). Secondly, the inter-rater reliability was examined by Item Characteristic Curve (ICC) and was significant (ICC = .868). The results on validity: Firstly, the Spearmen correlation coefficients were significant, except for the denture condition. Secondly, Kappa values ranged from 3.161 to 4.337, indicating that OHAT and BOHSE were highly correlated (p < .05). Conclusion: The Chinese OHAT demonstrates clinically easy to use, acceptable reliability and good validity. In addition, it consists of few items. It, therefore, appears to be a practical and valid oral health screening instrument for nursing home residents, including those with cognitive impairment. |
