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Malocclusion Impact Scale for Early Childhood (MIS-EC): development and validation.
Márcio Alexandre Homem1, Maria Letícia Ramos-Jorge2, Isabella Mota-Veloso1
1Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG, School of Dentistry, Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Brazilian Oral Research
|June 2, 2021
Summary
The Malocclusion Impact Scale for Early Childhood (MIS-EC) is a new, reliable tool to measure how malocclusion affects young children's quality of life. This validated scale helps assess the oral health impact on children and their families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Oral Health Quality of Life Research
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Malocclusion significantly impacts children's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).
- Existing measures may not adequately capture the specific OHRQoL aspects related to malocclusion in early childhood.
- A validated, child-specific scale is needed for this age group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the Malocclusion Impact Scale for Early Childhood (MIS-EC).
- To assess the OHRQoL of children aged 3-5 years and their parents/caregivers impacted by malocclusion.
- To establish the psychometric properties of the MIS-EC.
Main Methods:
- Item pool analysis and reduction involving dental professionals and mothers.
- Cross-sectional study with 381 parents of children aged 3-5 years.
- Evaluation of construct validity, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), and test-retest reliability (ICC).
Main Results:
- The final MIS-EC consists of 8 items plus 2 general questions.
- Good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.79 Child Impact; 0.53 Family Impact).
- Excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.94); significant association between MIS-EC scores and malocclusion presence (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- The MIS-EC is a reliable and valid instrument.
- It effectively assesses the impact of malocclusion on the OHRQoL of preschool children and their families.
- The scale aids in understanding the broader implications of malocclusion beyond dental parameters.
