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Oral-health-related quality of life in patients with cancer: cultural adaptation and the psychometric testing of the Persian version of EORTC QLQ-OH17

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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the validity, reliability, responsiveness to treatment, and gender invariance of the Persian version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Oral Health Questionnaire (QLQ-OH17) among Iranian cancer patients.

Methods

Cancer patients (n = 729) from three oncology centers in Tehran and Qazvin were recruited. A forward and backward translation procedure was performed to develop a culturally acceptable version of Persian QLQ-OH17. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the QLQ-OH17 was assessed. In addition, convergent and discriminant validity, concurrent validity, construct validity, and known-groups validity were evaluated. The factor structure of the questionnaire was examined by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Responsiveness to change was measured in an independent sample of patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy. Finally, factorial invariance of the QLQ-OH17 was assessed across gender.

Results

The Persian version of QLQ-OH17 showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.71–0.83) and reliability on repeated administration (intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.85–0.94). Persian QLQ-OH17 exhibited the original four-factor structure. Patients who perceived good oral health and satisfaction with their mouth reported significantly better oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) than those who perceived poor oral health and dissatisfied with their mouth. Similarly, those who perceived a need for dental treatment reported significantly poorer OHRQoL than those who have not perceived any treatment need. Older patients, females, and those experiencing greater caries had poorer QoL than their comparative counterparts. All QLQ-OH17 subscales were correlated with QLQ-C30 subscales and global QoL. Both male and female patients with cancer interpreted items on the QLQ-OH17 in a similar manner. The QLQ-OH17 was found to be responsive to treatment in a sample of head and neck cancer patients.

Conclusions

The Persian version of QLQ-OH17 is a valid and reliable questionnaire for assessing OHRQoL in Iranian patients with various cancers.

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Conflict of interest

All authors declared no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mir Saeed Yekaninejad

  2. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Bahounar BLV, Qazvin, 3419759811, Iran

    Amir H. Pakpour

  3. Population and Social Health Research Program, Griffith Health Institute, School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia

    Jyothi Tadakamadla & Santhosh Kumar

  4. Department of General Surgery, Hazrat-e-Rasoul Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Hamzeh Mosavi

  5. School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden

    Bengt Fridlund

  6. Quality of Life Department, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Brussels, Belgium

    Andrew Bottomley

  7. Department of Psychosocial Counseling, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Neil K. Aaronson

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  1. Mir Saeed Yekaninejad
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  2. Amir H. Pakpour
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Correspondence to Amir H. Pakpour.

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Yekaninejad, M.S., Pakpour, A.H., Tadakamadla, J. et al. Oral-health-related quality of life in patients with cancer: cultural adaptation and the psychometric testing of the Persian version of EORTC QLQ-OH17. Support Care Cancer 23, 1215–1224 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-014-2468-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-014-2468-9

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