German short forms of the Oral Health Impact Profile

TLDR

The study aimed to develop and evaluate short German versions of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP‑G) to assess oral health‑related quality of life. Using best‑subset regression on 2,050 survey participants, the authors created a 5‑item short form and derived 14‑item and 21‑item versions from English forms and factor analysis; validity, reliability, and responsiveness were tested in general and TMD patient samples, including test‑retest in 30 prosthodontic patients and responsiveness in 67 TMD pain patients. The short forms showed convergent validity, responsiveness (effect sizes 0.55–0.98), test‑retest reliability (ICC 0.72–0.87), and internal consistency (α 0.65–0.92), confirming sufficient psychometric properties for use in cross‑sectional and longitudinal studies.

Abstract

Abstract – Objectives: We report the development and psychometric evaluation of short forms of the Oral Health Impact Profile German version (OHIP‐G) ‐ an instrument to assess oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL). Methods: A five‐item short form was developed using best subset regression in 2050 subjects from a national survey. Two 14‐item versions were derived from English‐language short forms and a 21‐item version from previous factor analytic work. A second sample from the general population ( n = 163) and a sample of clinical patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD; n = 175) were used to investigate validity and internal consistency. Test‐retest reliability was evaluated in 30 prosthodontic patients before treatment. Responsiveness was assessed in 67 patients treated for their TMD pain. Results: Associations between short form summary scores and self‐report of oral health and four oral disorders in the general population and in TMD patients were interpreted as support for convergent/groups validity. The instruments’ responsiveness (effect measures of 0.55–0.98), test‐retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients: 0.72–0.87), and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.65–0.92) were sufficient. Conclusions: Sufficient discriminative and evaluative psychometric properties of short forms of the OHIP‐G make the instruments suitable to assess OHRQoL in cross‐sectional as well as longitudinal studies.