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.


METHODS
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.


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


METHODS
585 individuals aged 60 years and above.


METHODS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Ekanayake
L
L
Department of Community Dental Health, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. lilanie@pdn.ac.lk
Perera
I
I
D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D003729:Dental Care; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013188:Sri Lanka; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014177:Translations