Methods: A survey was conducted of 5-to 8-year-old children attending for dental treatment in community clinics in 2011. Children were examined for dental caries clinically and radiographically, and OHRQoL was measured using the CPQ8-10 and short-form CPQ11-14, along with two global questions. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing mean scale scores across ordinal categories of caries experience; correlational construct validity was assessed by comparing mean CPQ scores across children’s global ratings of oral health and well-being.
Results: The 183 children (49.7% female) who took part in the study represent a 98.4% participation rate. The overall mean dmft was 6.0 (SD, 2.0; range 1 to 13). There was a very strong and positive correlation between CPQ11-14 scores and CPQ8-10 scores (Pearsons’s r = 0.98; P<0.01). Both questionnaire versions detected differences in the impact of dental caries on quality of life, with the greatest scores in the expected direction: children who presented with the highest caries burden had the highest scores. Both versions showed higher scores among those with poorer oral health.
Conclusions: The performance of both versions of the COHQOL measures (CPQ8-10 and short-form CPQ11-14) appears to be acceptable in this younger age group; the data further confirm that younger children can provide their own perceptions of oral health impacts. The acceptability of the short-form CPQ11-14in this younger age group lends support to its use in children between ages 5 and 14.
Funded by New Zealand Health Research Council