The Development and Psychometric Properties of Malay Language Child Oral Health Impact Profile-Short Form 19 (ML COHIP-SF 19)

Background/Objectives: The Child Oral Health Impact Profile-Short Form 19 (COHIP-SF 19) is widely used to measure the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children and adolescents. The current study aimed to validate the Malay language version of the COHIP-SF19 (ML COHIP-SF 19) and to assess its psychometric properties among Malaysian children/adolescents. Methods: Children aged from 9 to 16 years attending the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) participated in this study. The original English version of the COHIP-SF 19 was translated using forward- and back-translation. The psychometric properties of the final version were tested for reliability and validity using Cronbach's alpha, a non-parametric Spearman's correlation test, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: A total of 252 children aged from 9 to 16 years (mean age = 11.33 +/- 1.87 years) self-completed the ML-COHIP-SF 19. The total scores of the ML COHIP-SF 19 ranged from 20 to 75 (mean = 55.67 +/- 10.45) with an internal consistency (alpha) of 0.81. Convergent validity showed a fair correlation between self-perceived oral health rating and total ML COHIP-SF 19 scores, as well as the socio-emotional well-being subscale scores (rs = 0.38-0.42, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The ML COHIP-SF 19 demonstrated reliable psychometric properties and acceptable four-factor model fits, indicating that it is a valid tool to measure the OHRQoL of Malaysian children aged from 9 to 16 years.