Development of the Diabetes Oral Health Assessment Tool © for Nurses

Abstract

Although some studies have suggested a bidirectional relationship between diabetes and peri-odontal disease, there were no appropriate tools for nurses to evaluate oral status and oral health behaviors in patients with diabetes. Therefore, the Diabetes Oral Health Assessment Tool (DiO-HAT©) was developed with items contributed by health care professionals (diabetologists, peri-odontal specialists, a preventive dentist, a Certified Nurse in Diabetes Nursing, a national registered dietitian, registered nurses, a dental hygienist, and nursing researchers) who were involved in the medical care of patients with diabetes. Subsequently, a survey of 700 Diabetes Nurse Specialists (DNS) was conducted to determine their score of recognition and implementation of the DiOHAT©, however, 304 participants (43.4%) responded. Constructive concept validation and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for all assessment items was 0.932, indicating high reliability: Factor 1, Patient's oral health status (α = 0.874); Factor 2, Implementation of oral health behaviors (α = 0.890); Factor 3, Information transmission regarding dental visits (α = 0.862); and Factor 4, Perceptions and knowledge of oral health behaviors (α = 0.793). Although the mean score of recognition of DiOHAT© was 3.5 ± 0.4 points, the mean value of the implementation score was 1.5 ± 0.5 Y. Kuwamura et al. 1711 points (obtained using a 4-grade scale). The implementation scores were significantly lower than the recognition scores for all items (p < 0.001). The findings suggested that the DNS were not inclined to implement all items of DiOHAT©, despite recognizing their importance.