Objectives: The aim of this study was to validate the reproducibility and observer variability of the Functional Implant Prosthodontic Score (FIPS), while considering the level of dental experience for intra- and inter-examiner analysis.
Materials and methods: A total of 44 examiners (n = 31 undergraduate dental students and n = 13 postgraduate prosthodontic students) applied FIPS to ten sample cases each showing one implant-supported single crown for premolar or molar replacements. Examiners' assessments were carried out twice at an interval of 2 weeks (round A and round B). Pearson's correlations including 95% confidence intervals (CI95) were calculated for intra- and inter-examiner reproducibility testing. Cohen's Kappa score was additionally used to analyze the homogeneity of each FIPS variable.
Results: The mean values of the total FIPS scores for round A (7.21 ± 0.91) and round B (7.27 ± 0.86) showed a strong correlation of 0.9374 (CI95 0.9250; 0.9478). No significant difference was identified between undergraduates and postgraduates representing different levels of dental experience. Homogeneity analysis of the defined FIPS variables was not significantly different.
Conclusions: Both intra- and inter-examiner analysis revealed very congruent results for reproducibility testing of FIPS. The findings validated the potential of FIPS as an objective and reliable evaluation instrument in assessing fixed implant restorations in posterior sites independent of the level of dental experience.
Clinical relevance: FIPS can be considered as an additional diagnostic tool to classify fixed implant restorations in routine dental practice, to compare follow-up observations, and to identify potential risks of failure.
Keywords: Dental implant; Diagnostic test study; Fixed prosthodontics; Functional implant prosthodontic score (FIPS); Reproducibility; Validity.