Quality of the adaptation procedures and psychometric properties of the scale of oral health outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5): a systematic review

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of the cross-cultural adaptations and psychometric properties of the Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5).

A systematic search was performed in three databases, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Dentistry and Oral Science Source (EBSCO). Studies relating to the cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of SOHO-5 were included. The quality of cross-cultural adaptation was assessed in five aspects including translation, synthesis, back-translation, expert committee review, and pretesting. The Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist was used to assess the psychometric properties in seven domains including responsiveness, internal consistency, reliability, measurement error, and structural, construct, and cross-cultural validity.

The search identified 162 papers for screening; from these, 107 articles and 9 systematic reviews were excluded. 21 full papers were retrieved and 6 studies that met the inclusion criteria were included. Out of six, two reported all five aspects of cross-cultural adaptation procedures. Regarding the psychometric properties, none of the studies evaluated all aspects of psychometric properties. Almost all of the studies reported internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.71 to 0.90), test–retest reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient 0.46–0.98), and construct validity. None reported the cross-cultural validity and responsiveness of the measures.

While these studies provided satisfactory results regarding the validity and reliability of SOHO-5, the majority of the included studies did not report all domains of the cross-cultural adaptations and psychometric properties. Overall, the quality of the cross-cultural adaptations and psychometric properties of the included studies is doubtful. Future research should follow the guidelines to assess all aspects of psychometric properties and adaptation procedures in cross-cultural settings.