Validating OHIP-5 for Equitable Oral Healthcare in Nigeria

Healthcare access in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is constrained by structural and socio-cultural barriers, including language. Oral health, despite its importance to general health, is often overlooked in universal health coverage efforts. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-5) is a brief patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) but has not been adapted into indigenous Nigerian languages. This study aimed to translate and evaluate the Yoruba version (OHIP-5Yor), assess its psychometric performance using both English and Yoruba administrations, and explore its relevance for improving patient-centred oral healthcare access in LMICs.

A cross-sectional survey of 143 adults was conducted at two dental centres in Ibadan, Nigeria. The OHIP-5 was translated using a forward-backward approach with pilot testing. Psychometric evaluation included internal consistency, inter-item correlation, convergent validity, and confirmatory factor analysis.

Of the 143 participants, 52 completed the Yoruba version and 91 the English version. The mean OHIP-5 score was 6.6 ± 4.3. The instrument showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.67) and supportive construct validity. Structural validity indices, however, indicated that the factorial structure requires further evaluation in larger and more diverse samples.

The findings provide preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the OHIP-5Yor as a culturally adapted tool for assessing OHRQoL among Nigerian adult dental patients. Beyond psychometric evaluation, the instrument may help address an important equity gap by enabling non-English speakers to participate more fully in oral health assessment, thereby supporting patient-clinician communication and highlighting unmet needs. Incorporation of such tools into routine care and public health surveillance represents a potential, scalable approach to strengthening oral healthcare access in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The OHIP-5Yor enables brief, culturally appropriate assessment of patient-perceived oral health impacts and may support more equitable oral healthcare delivery in multilingual settings.