Validation of a Short-form Measure for Oral Health-Related Quality of Life: The Relationship between Patients' Self-Perception of the Impact of Oral Health on Quality of Life and the Oral Condition

Objectives: To validate a new four-question instrument as an outcome assessment tool for oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and compare its results to the Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP-14). We also tested the relationship between subjects' chief complaints and perceived impact of their oral health on their quality of life.;Methods: One hundred and two new patients (55 females and 47 males; age 19-79 years) at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine filled out the investigational survey instrument and underwent a clinical examination. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the investigational questions and the OHIP-14. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated and odds ratios computed using generalized estimating equations. Analyses were performed using SPSS (Chicago, Ill) and SAS (Cary, NC).;Results: Domain-specific correlations of the new measure with OHIP-14 were moderate to high 0.5-0.8 (all p0.7). Sensitivity and specificity analyses showed that the new question in the 3 domains have a range of good to excellent discriminative ability in measuring the impact of oral problems on quality of life in comparison to the OHIP-14 questions within the same domain. In the psychological domain, the sensitivity was 86% (95% CI: 73% - 94%), in the social domain it was 86% (95% CI: 77% - 92%) while in the physical domain, it was 67% (95% CI: 56% - 76%). Those who presented with pain had an odds of it influencing their quality of life that was 21 times the odds for those presenting for routine visit (p=0.006).;Conclusion: The new oral health related quality of life measure has an acceptable validity and reliability in testing the impact of oral health on quality of life and is a valid tool in clinical settings.