Translation and validation of the Chinese version of GOHAI.

OBJECTIVE

To translate and validate the Chinese version of General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) for elderly in Hong Kong and to investigate factors that possibly may influence the GOHAI scores.

METHODS

The English version of GOHAI was translated into Chinese. Persons aged 60-80 years were interviewed by two trained interviewers and clinically examined by a dentist. Information on subjects' demographic background and oral health conditions was collected.

RESULTS

Altogether 1,023 elderly were interviewed and clinically examined. The mean GOHAI score was 48.9 (SD = 7.2). Cronbach's alpha of the translated GOHAI was 0.81; item-scale correlation ranged from 0.28-0.61. It was found that the mean GOHAI scores were lower for subjects with poorer perceived oral health (rs = 0.57, P < .001). Elderly who had perceived dental treatment need had a lower mean GOHAI score than those who did not (P < .001). It was also found that elderly who lived in elderly homes, those who received social welfare assistance, those who had recent dental visits, and those with higher DMFT scores had higher mean GOHAI scores.

CONCLUSION

The translated Chinese version of GOHAI demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. It is available for use by researchers in oral health-related quality of life studies on Chinese elderly population.