Validation of a Romanian Version of the Short Form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) for Use in an Urban Adult Population

Purpose: To obtain a valid Romanian version of the OHIP-14 for use among Romanian adults, either in Romania or abroad. Materials and Methods: The Romanian version of the OHIP-14 was obtained through the back translation technique and pre-tested in a pilot study. Subsequently, it was self-administered to 187 adults who also underwent a clinical examination. Cronbach alpha was used to check the internal consistency and reliability analysis and validity tests were used to determine the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. Results: The Cronbach alpha coefficient obtained was 0.88. Inter-item correlation coefficients were between 0.01 and 0.74; item-total correlation values ranged between 0.25 and 0.77. There were statistically significant associations (p = 0.001) between the respondents' self-perceived oral health (r = 0.41), the dental treatment need (r = 0.35) and the mean of the OHIP-14 total scores. Similar statistically significant associations (p = 0.001) existed between the OHIP-14 total scores mean and the clinical data - the number of decayed (D) and of missing (M) teeth and the prosthetic treatment need - proving the construct validity of the questionnaire. The subscales 'physical pain' and 'psychological disability' have the most important impact on the overall OHIP-14 score. The subscales 'social disability' and 'handicap' seem to make the least contribution to the overall OHIP-14 score. Conclusion: The Romanian version of the OHIP-14 is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used in future studies. Palabras clave: linguistic and cultural validation, OHIP-14, oral-health related quality of life