An evaluation of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire in the UK

To assess the reliability and validity of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11-14), an oral health related quality of life measure for 11-14 year old children, for use in the UK.

Cross-sectional questionnaire and clinical analytical study.

Orthodontic and paediatric dentistry clinics at a dental hospital and one general dental practice.

Eighty-nine children between 11 and 14 years of age attending for an examination.

The children were invited to complete the CPQ11-14, global oral health and impact on life overall ratings. Clinical data on caries status, malocclusion and presence of dental opacities and gingivitis were collected. CPQ11-14 was summarised as the total score (sum of the item codes) and the number of impacts reported often or every day.

The Cronbach's alpha for the total scale was 0.87 and ranged from 0.59 to 0.83 for the subscales indicating acceptable internal consistency. The intraclass correlation coefficient on repeated application of the measure was 0.83 (95% CI = 0.76-0.90) suggesting almost perfect agreement. Summary measures of CPQ11-14 correlated with the global oral health rating indicating acceptable criterion validity. Impact on life overall was related to all summary measures of CPQ11-14. Number of impacts correlated with the total number of missing teeth and missing teeth due to caries. No other relationships between clinical and CPQ11-14 data were apparent.

The CPQ11-14 shows acceptable reliability, criterion and construct validity in relation to life overall. Relationships with clinical data were more tenuous. If this measure is to be used to compare the impacts of oral diseases in similar settings in the UK a large sample will be required.