Oral health-related quality of life in patients with upper gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders in Pakistan: validation of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 in the Urdu language.

Introduction: The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) has been used extensively to measure the impact of oral disease on oral health-related quality of life (HRQoL) but has not been validated in the Urdu language or tested in gastroenterology.

Aims: To validate the OHIP-14 for use in Pakistan and its ability to assess oral health in patients with upper gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatic disorders.

Design: Multicentre, cross-sectional.

Setting: Four major tertiary care hospitals.

Methods: The OHIP-14 was tested for reliability and validity in 700 patients referred for oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopic (OGD) investigation of the symptoms of upper GI or hepatic disease. Socio-demographic details and oral examination findings (for oral lesions and DMFT) were recorded.

Results: The mean (±standard deviation) total OHIP-14 score (range 0-56) was estimated to be 23.38 ± 10.47, indicating a significant impact of upper gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders on oral health. The reliability coefficient of the OHIP-14 was above 0.7 threshold, and the tool had good internal consistency ( α  = 0.83). When associated with worsening DMFT (decayed, missed, and filled teeth) index value, the highest correlations ( p  < 0.01) were detected with functional limitation (rs = 0.234), physical disability (rs = 0.230), and psychological discomfort (rs = 0.221).

Conclusion: The OHIP-14 is a precise and valid instrument for assessing oral-HRQoL in a gastroenterological setting amongst Pakistani population.