Validation of a Greek version of the oral health impact profile (OHIP-14) in adolescents.

AIM

To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Greek version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) (short form) in adolescents.

METHODS

A total of 112 healthy adolescents (15-18 years) from various socioeconomic backgrounds were randomly selected and participated in a clinical oral examination conducted by a calibrated dentist and on the same day a face to face interview was held for assessing the psychometric properties of the OHIP-14 in Greek adolescents.

RESULTS

Cronbach's coefficient, was used to evaluate the internal consistency of the instrument and a value of a=0.8 was found indicating exceptional internal consistency. Discriminant validity and convergent validity was assessed and the inter-item correlation coefficients ranged from -0.01 to 0.8 and the item-total correlation coefficients varied from 0.17 to 0.6. Important statistical correlations were also observed between the OHIP-14 and all the clinical measures, confirming that the questionnaire can distinguish between individuals with and without impacts on their oral health. The OHIP-14 total score proved to have high associations with both self-perceived oral health status (rs=0.36; p=0.01) and self-assessment of oral satisfaction (rs=0.4; p=0.01). Examination of the relationship between these parameters and the score of each domain also lead to similar results.

CONCLUSIONS

The Greek version of OHIP-14 instrument was found to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing oral health-related quality of life in Greek adolescents.