Validation of a Sinhalese translation of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 for use with older adults.

OBJECTIVE

To test the psychometric properties of a Sinhalese translation of the OHIP-14 scale for use among older adults in Sri Lanka.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey. The English version of the OHIP-14 was translated in to Sinhalese, pre-tested and subsequently administered to the subjects by a trained interviewer.

SETTING

Moratuwa--a densely populated urban area in the Western province of Sri Lanka.

SUBJECTS

585 individuals aged 60 years and above.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Reliability of the translated scale was assessed in terms of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was evaluated by examining the associations between perceived oral health status, perceived need for dental care and the OHIP scores.

RESULTS

Cronbach's alpha of the translated scale was 0.93. Corrected item-total correlation coefficients ranged from 0.53-0.80. The highly significant associations between perceived oral health status, perceived need for dental care and the OHIP scores support the construct validity of the translated scale.

CONCLUSION

The Sinhalese translation of the OHIP-14 is a valid and reliable instrument to measure oral health related quality of life in older adults of Sri Lanka.