Outcome measures for oral health based on clinical assessments and claims data: feasibility evaluation in practice

Summary

This Dutch feasibility study, conducted in collaboration with the healthcare insurer Achmea and general dental practitioners, sought to develop and test outcome measures for oral health using both claims records and clinical data. Of eight candidate measures tested, four (retreatment and three caries measures) proved feasible to collect, valid, and discriminative, enabling demonstration of variation across dental practices. The feedback of performance data to practitioners stimulated discussion on best practices, though some measures (tooth wear, periodontal health indices) were deemed insufficiently responsive or controversial for routine deployment.

UK applicability

The methodology and findings may inform development of outcome measures for oral healthcare in UK dental practice and NHS performance monitoring, though implementation would require adaptation to UK health system structures, data infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks. The identified challenges with data completeness and measure responsiveness are likely relevant to UK dental settings.

Key measures

Outcome measures for dental caries, tooth wear, periodontal health, and retreatment; feasibility of data collection; face validity; discriminative validity; clinical practice variation

Outcomes reported

The study identified and tested eight outcome measures for oral health (four on dental caries, one on tooth wear, two on periodontal health, one on retreatment) using health insurance claims records and clinical data from general dental practices. Four measures (retreatment and three dental caries measures) demonstrated feasibility, face validity, and discriminative validity, whilst others showed limited responsiveness or insufficient data.

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