Child Perceptions Questionnaire in Croatia: Two Domains for Measuring Oral Health

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Dentistry
• Oral Health Research
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Assessing oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in adolescents is crucial for understanding their overall well-being.
• Existing instruments require validation and adaptation for specific age groups and cultural contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To cross-culturally adapt and validate the 8-item Child Oral Health Quality of Life Questionnaire (CPQ) for Croatian adolescents aged 11-14.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of two short-forms: stepwise-regression (RSF:8) and item-impact (ISF:8).

Main Methods:

• A sample of 237 orthodontic patients (11-14 years) from Croatian University Dental Clinics participated.
• Structural and construct validity, reliability, and responsiveness were assessed.
• Intraoral examinations evaluated dental caries and malocclusion severity.

Main Results:

• A two-domain structure (oral function and psychosocial well-being) demonstrated higher explanatory power (60.05% for ISF:8, 52.24% for RSF:8) than the original four domains.
• The adapted instruments showed good reliability (α=0.56-0.85) and responsiveness, detecting differences based on caries/malocclusion severity and treatment outcomes.
• The instruments were stable in the absence of oral condition changes.

Conclusions:

• The 8-item CPQ, adapted into two-domain short-forms (ISF:8 and RSF:8), exhibits favorable psychometric properties for assessing OHRQoL in 11-14 year-olds.
• The findings support a revised two-domain model for evaluating OHRQoL in this adolescent population.
• The validated instruments can effectively measure oral health impacts and treatment effects in young orthodontic patients.