doiSerbia

Adaptation of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) index for measuring impact of oral health on quality of life in elderly to Serbian language

Stančić Ivica (Stomatološki fakultet, Klinika za stomatološku protetiku, Beograd)
Tihaček-Šojić Ljiljana (Stomatološki fakultet, Klinika za stomatološku protetiku, Beograd)
Jelenković Aleksandra (Stomatološki fakultet, Klinika za stomatološku protetiku, Beograd)

Background/Aim. There is an evidence of increasing necessity to use indices for measuring impact of oral health on the elderly life quality for the purposes of the state-of-the art clinical dental practice. It is at least because data obtained in that way suggest whether a treatment is required, help in deciding upon a kind of dental treatment, as well as in evaluating the extent of success of the applied therapeutical procedures. The aim of the study was to translate into Serbian the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) index and to assess its validity in practice as its initial verification in the Serbian speaking areas. Methods. The OHIP-14 index was translated into Serbian and check-up of its easy-to-understand done in a group of 30 common elderly (above 65 years of age) with a total or partial prosthetic restoration. The study individuals did not fill in a questionnaire by themselves, instead the questions were put orally. If needed, additional explanations were given with no any suggesting a possible answer. Results. Considering the given answers and the shown need for additional explanations to some questions indicated that the question number 5 in the OHIP-14, namely 'Have you been selfconscious because of your mouth or dentures?' (Serbian, 'Da li ste bili samosvesni usled problema sa Vašim ustima i protezama?') cannot be adequately translated into Serbian because even 28 (93.3%) of the tested individuals were not able to understand it inspite the given explanations. Other questions were well understood, thus allowing to use the answers to them as score for a certain discomfort. Of all the tested, 13 (43%) denied any psychosocial disorders or experienced them only rarely, while 60% of the tested answered affirmately to the question 'Do you consider your life generally less satisfactory due to the problems induced by teeth and dentures?' pointing out a significant impact of oral health condition on the quality of life. Conclusion. The OHIP-14 index renders valuable and dependable data on the quality of life of elderly with dentures, thus it is favorable to use it in practice. Due to difficulties in understanding the question number 5, however, it was omitted off the final Serbian language version. Anyhow, its validity in a more numerous test group should be evaluated, as well as other indices introduced into Serbian speaking area to let a comparison made and the most suitable questionnaire used.

Keywords: oral health, dentures, questionnaires, Yugoslavia, quality of life