Objective
The standard tool for pattern identification is used to identify patterns of patients’ symptoms by questionnaire. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of a standard tool for pattern identification of burning mouth synd...
Objective
The standard tool for pattern identification is used to identify patterns of patients’ symptoms by questionnaire. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of a standard tool for pattern identification of burning mouth syndrome (BMS).
Methods
All 54 patients diagnosed with BMS answered a questionnaire, which included a standard tool for pattern identification of BMS. The reliability of the test-retest was analyzed using the simple kappa coefficient and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and the internal consistency was assessed using the Cronbach alpha coefficient. Wilcoxon rank sum test and logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate the validity, and spearman correlation coefficient analysis was performed to analyze the correlation with other evaluation tools (Visual analogue scale(VAS) score for BMS and Oral Health Impact Profile-14(OHIP-14)).
Results
The test-retest reliability analysis of the pattern identification results showed ‘substantial agreement’, and test-retest reliability analysis of each pattern identification score showed agreements from ‘good’ to ‘excellent’. The internal consistency was evaluated as ‘acceptable’ for ‘Yin deficiency with effulgent fire pattern’, ‘Liver fire flaming upward pattern’, ‘questionable’ for ‘Heart fire flaming upward pattern’, ‘poor’ for ‘Heart and spleen deficiency pattern’. The VAS score for BMS showed ‘moderate positive relationship’ with ‘Yin deficiency with effulgent fire pattern’. The OHIP-14 score showed ‘weak negative relationship’ to ‘moderate negative relationship’ with all pattern identification.
Conclusions
The results reveal that the reliability analysis of a standard tool for pattern identification of BMS showed over good agreement, and the validity analysis indicates that sufficient validity has not been established. Further research should be conducted based on the results and limitations of this study.