title: Cross-cultural equivalence in translation of the oral health impact profile: how to interpret the final score?
abstract: The oral health impact profile (OHIP) is one of the most widely known oral health-related quality of life instruments. In Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, MacEntee and Brondani report the results of a systematic review to identify acceptable methods for translating psychometric instruments for cross-cultural equivalence of the OHIP scale. But in no study has unidimensionality, one aspect of the validity of the internal structure of the scale, been verified, whereas it is a major psychometric step. In the absence of the study of unidimensionality, it is difficult to interpret the final score. The methodology of transcultural validation of the OHIP could be improved, and the study of the unidimensionality is a psychometrically necessary step for the interpretation of the finale score.
authors.affiliation: La Chartreuse Psychiatric Centre, Dijon, France.|EA 481 Integrative Neurosciences and Clinical, University Hospital of Besançon, Besançon, France.|Department of Dentistry, University Hospital of Dijon, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Denis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, University Hospital of Dijon, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Trojak
authors.affiliation: EA 481 Integrative Neurosciences and Clinical, University Hospital of Besançon, Besançon, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rude
mesh_terms: D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D006801:Humans; D009909:Oral Health; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014177:Translations
keywords: cross-cultural equivalence; disability; oral health; psychometric methods; social comparison; the oral health impact profile