Concurrent validity of the Modified Oral Status Survey Tool

The Oral Status Survey Tool (OSST) was developed as a non-dentist-administered oral health evaluation survey (HES). The OSST demonstrated favorable attributes. For example, concurrent validity for tooth count [intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.99 (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.99–0.99)], carious teeth [Gwet's AC2 = 0.94 (95% CI: 0.89–0.99)] and gum condition [Gwet's AC1 = 0.84 (95% CI: 0.64–1)] were all excellent. However limitations related to conceptual clarity, usability, and the level of guidance provided for non-dental assessors were identified (Mac Giolla Phadraig et al., 2021). Accordingly, the tool was updated for further use in research. This led to the development of MOSST (Modified Oral Status Survey Tool) - seven-item tool recording indicators of oral function and disease (See Figure 1). The MOSST was shown to be reliable, valid, and feasible for use by non-dental assessors among people with disabilities. It is low cost, low burden, quick and feasible and offers potential for use among understudied communities (Byrne et al., 2026). In adapting the original OSST, changes were made to concepts and criteria meaning that the criterion validity that was established for the OSST no longer held true for the MOSST. Byrne and colleagues highlighted the need for testing of concurrent validity as a final step in its psychometric validation. By examining the relationship between MOSST outcomes and conventional measures of gum health, oral hygiene and caries experience, this study seeks to determine whether this more inclusive, low-burden assessment tool can validly reflect oral health status among adults with ID, including those with higher support needs who are routinely excluded from traditional dental research. This study aims to test agreement between MOSST items and gold standard clinical indices for cavitated teeth, gingival health, and oral hygiene as a test of concurrent (criterion) validity.