An integrated team approach to improve dental data quality
Morgan MZ1
Monaghan NP2
Introduction
Results
An integrated team approach has been implemented to
improve the quality of childhood oral epidemiological
data in Wales. This poster provides an update of a
previous presentation3.
As an example of data quality, postcode recognition
rates using the in house postcode look-up file were in
excess of 95% for all data collection areas (i.e. health
authorities pre April 2003) for the survey of 14 year
olds in 2002/03. Ranging from a 1.4% improvement
in area 4 to 21.9% in area 3 when compared with a
previous survey undertaken in 1998/99 (Figure 1).
Method
The team consists of the all Wales dental epidemiology
co-ordinator (NM), the Welsh Oral Health Information
Unit (MM) and five local epidemiology co-ordinators.
The team has worked to close the audit loop relating to
data quality. Collaborative work associated with data
collection and analysis have informed changes to:
Combined efforts of staff collecting data, local
organisers and the Welsh Oral Health Information
Unit produce high postcode recognition (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Changes in postcode recognition after centralised data cleaning,
survey of 14 year old children 2002/2003

the survey protocol,
the training and calibration exercise,
 data collection format and process,
 data verification,
 and data cleaning processes.
100.0
% valid postcodes

99.8
99.4
98.0
Figure 1: Changes in postcode recognition rates, for three oral
epidemiological surveys
97.1
96.8
96.3
95.6
60
94.0
92.0
92.9
40
20
1
2
0
3
4
5
WALES
Health Authority
1st Qtr
Data
cleaned3rd
by WOHIU
coordinators
2nd
Qtr
Qtr& Local
4th
Qtr
Data checks have revealed several types of common
errors associated with postcode. These are presented
in Table 1. These will be shared with data collection
staff and local organisers in future training exercises
to alert them to potential errors and to develop
methods to manage them.
Table 1: Common Postcode Errors
100
% valid postcodes
99.9
97.8
80
96.0
Original raw data
Annual training includes feedback to data recorders, it
emphasises the importance of thoroughness and accuracy
with regards to data collection. Feedback consists of
identifying poor practice and how each district compares
in terms of data quality.
99.9
99.2
98.3
90.0
Emphasis has been placed upon improving the quality of
the data at the time of collection.
100
Letter O instead
of zero 0
90
Very similar,
transposing
characters etc.
80
70
1
2
3
4
5
Health Authority
14 yr 1998/99
12 yr 2000/01
14 yr 2002/03
Acknowledgements
The support of the National Assembly for Wales is acknowledged
gratefully in the funding of the Welsh Oral Health Information Unit
and of the Dental Epidemiology and Training Exercises.
Data of this quality could not be delivered without the efforts of the
data collection staff and of local organisers.
SA43ODZ
SA430DZ
CF47OE7
CF470BZ
NP10OBE
NP100BE
CF278SB
CF728SB
CF612YE
CF612XE
CF626LM
Incomplete
SA12 7H
SA127HB
CF39
CF399SE
SA38NLX
SA389LX
CF371DG
CF371PG
CF626LN
NP108BF
NP108TF
CF356MM
CF356HH
SA128BF
SA128PF
NP445FG
NP445EG
SA41OB
SA148UB
SA127S3
SA127SS
CF350PL
CF729TP
NF819LP
CF819LP
Sounds
similar!
No
similarity!
Conclusions
This poster highlights data quality associated with
postcode which is just one of the data items in the dental
survey programme whose quality is managed. The
authors believe that these postcodes are among the
cleanest variables in NHS data in the United Kingdom.
The quality of the data has been delivered through an
integrated team approach regarding quality assurance.
1 Welsh Oral Health Information Unit, Dental School, University of Wales College of Medicine
2 National Public Health Service Wales
3 Monaghan, N. P., Morgan, M.Z. Improving the Quality of Dental Data. Poster Presentation. Faculty of Public Health Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting, 25-28 June 2002