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Development of the Teen Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life Instrument
Author(s) -
Wright Wanda G.,
Spiro Avron,
Jones Judith A.,
Rich Sharron E.,
Garcia Raul I.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/jphd.12181
Subject(s) - cronbach's alpha , quality of life (healthcare) , discriminant validity , convergent validity , oral health , reliability (semiconductor) , medicine , clinical psychology , scale (ratio) , concurrent validity , content validity , psychometrics , psychology , dentistry , internal consistency , nursing , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics
Objective The aim of this study was to develop the Teen Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life instrument (TOQOL) and demonstrate its validity and reliability in a diverse sample of 13–18‐year‐old adolescents. Methods A total of 363 adolescents aged 13–18 years participated in this cross sectional study. Oral screening examinations were conducted to collect oral health status data. Adolescents completed the TOQOL and a generic measure of health‐related quality of life, the PedsQL. The psychometric properties of the TOQOL were evaluated in terms of face, content, convergent, concurrent and discriminant validity in addition to internal reliability. Results The 16‐item TOQOL covers five domains: Physical functioning, Role functioning, Social functioning, Oral problems, and Emotional functioning. The total scale and subscales showed satisfactory reliability with Cronbach alpha ranging from 0.75 to 0.92. TOQOL scores showed significant associations with perceived oral health status and the PedsQL (convergent validity) and discriminated well between adolescents with caries and adolescents who were caries free (discriminate validity). Conclusion The TOQOL is a valid and reliable oral health‐related quality of life measurement that can be recommended for self‐report in adolescents aged 13‐18 years.