101 - Accuracy of Parent Reported Health History in a Dental Setting

Purpose: Obtaining thorough documentation of a patient’s medical history is important for dental professionals, as oral health is intricately connected to systemic health conditions. However, there are few studies on the accuracy of parental report of children’s health histories. The purpose of this study is to assess the accuracy of parent reported health history for pediatric patients in a dental setting.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 863 patients ages 17 and under. Parent reported health history was compared with subsequent physician to dentist consultations. The most common diagnoses were grouped based on ICD-10 categories.

Results: The sensitivity of parent report of health conditions varied, with the highest sensitivity for reporting mental and behavioral disorders (75.1%, 95%CI=69.6%-80.0%) followed by nervous system diseases (63.0%, 95%CI=47.5%-76.8%), respiratory conditions (47.9%, 95%CI=37.6%-58.4%), congenital conditions (46.3%, 95%CI=30.7%-62.6%), cardiovascular conditions (25.0%, 95%CI=11.4%-43.4%), and was lowest for hematologic conditions (12.2%, 95%CI=4.1%-26.2%). Parents of children older than six or those with private insurance had higher sensitivity for reporting mental and behavioral conditions than those with children younger than six or those with Medicaid (P <0.0001). The specificity of parent reported health conditions ranged from 96.0% for mental and behavioral disorders, to 99.8% for hematologic conditions.

Conclusions: Dentists rely largely on self-report to document medical history. In advocating for the safety of pediatric populations, especially those with special needs and complex medical conditions, this study supports the use of medical evaluation prior to receiving certain dental treatments and for the integration of dental and electronic health records.