Validation of the Thai Version of the 14- Item Oral Health Impact Profile (Thai OHIP-14) amongst the General Thai Adult Population in a Community Setting

Abstract

Background: Oral health related quality of life has been widely used to evaluate oral health outcomes over the past two decades. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) has been mostly used to measure the impact of oral disorders or problems regarding daily function and ability. However, the original 14- item short version has not been validated in Thailand.

Methods: The study was carried out to test the validity and reliability of the Thai version of the 14- Item Oral Health Impact Profile (Thai OHIP-14) evaluating oral health related quality of life in Thai adults in a community setting. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the samples of 685 adults with the mean age of 56.80±11.65 years old who lived in KhonKaen province, Thailand. Data included demographic and oral clinical data. Oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) was measured using the Thai-Oral Health Impact Profile (Thai OHIP-14). Overall quality of life and general oral heath ratings were also obtained.  Descriptive statistics and spearman rank correlation coefficients were used for data analyses.

Results: The reliability of the Thai OHIP-14 was excellent (α = 0.88). Face, content, and construct validity of the questionnaires were examined and showed acceptable properties. The total scores of Thai OHIP-14 were associated with overall quality of life (r_rho= 0.60; p < 0.001) and general oral heath rating (r_rho= 0.47; p < 0.001), supporting the criterion and construct validity.

Conclusion: The Thai version of 14- Item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) has been successfully validated following the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. It offers a valid and reliable instrument for the measures of social impact of oral diseases or disorders on individuals in community settings.