Reliability of Use of Dental Questionnaires on the Internet for Investigations

Abstract

The present research was undertaken to study the reliability of dental health questionnaires used on the Internet. The subjects were 1,037 Internet users who accessed the WWW site we uploaded for research and 777 T village in habitants who answered the same questions on paper. The questionnaire contained 10 items about lifestyle and oral conditions. These items were selected from the study of T village according to their importance in retained teeth. Each item had a different score, and the total was 20. The results were summarized as follows. 1. The investigation by the Internet was able to obtain a sufficient number of subjects in a short period. 2. The number of respondents to the Internet investigation was proportional to the area population of the whole country, and the male-to-female ratio was approximately equal. 3. Most of the respondents of the Internet investigation were from approximately 20 to 60 years old. 4. The score of the paper questionnaire used in T village and the Internet investigation showed the same distribution. Therefore, the Internet investigation was adequate for statistical analysis. 5. The answers of the Internet investigation appear to have been given with the understanding of the respondents. It was concluded that an Internet investigation was an investigating method that has usefulness and reliability for dental study.