title: Validations of the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS).
abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). A total of 247 children aged 2 to 5 years and their parents/guardians participated in this study. A clinical oral examination was performed and the parents/guardians completed the ECOHIS questionnaire. Within a period of four-weeks, 20% of the participants repeated the ECOHIS questionnaire. Construct validity was determined using Spearman's rank correlation. Discriminant validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were also evaluated. The children were divided into 2 groups: group 1 (with dental caries) and group 2 (caries-free). Children with caries showed higher mean ECOHIS scores than the caries-free children. The child impact section (p < 0.01), family impact section (p < 0.01) and total ECOHIS scores (p < 0.01) were significantly correlated with tooth decay. Cronbach's alpha coefficients demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency. The Brazilian version of the ECOHIS is a valid instrument for assessing oral health-related quality of life in preschool children with Brazilian Portuguese-speaking primary caregivers.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Brazil. paulo_martins86@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Paulo Antônio
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Martins-Júnior
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramos-Jorge
authors.forename: Saul Martins
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.forename: Leandro Silva
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: Maria Letícia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ramos-Jorge
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014175:Translating