Translation, Transcultural Adaptation and Validation of the Halitosis Associated Life-Quality Test for Use in Brazilian Adolescents

Objective: To perform the transcultural adaptation to Brazil and validation of the Halitosis Associated Life-quality Test (HALT) for use in adolescents. Material and Methods: Students aged 12 to 15 years, of both sexes, with healthy permanent dentition, attending public schools in Piracicaba, Brazil, were selected for this study. The HALT was translated, backtranslated, reviewed by an expert committee and submitted to a pre-test. In the first phase (n = 13), 15% of the sample did not understand items 2, 12 and 15; therefore, these items were reformulated and resubmitted to 13 adolescents. The version with a sociocultural adaptation was self-applied by 56 adolescents (64% females, 13.4 +/- 1.0 years), of whom 25 participated in the test-retest. The presence of visible biofilm, gingival bleeding, calculus and tongue coating, was evaluated. Self-perception of halitosis after exhalation/breathing was assessed by a single question. Results: The HALT score ranged from 0 to 62 points (mean = 10.1 +/- 13.4) and the floor effect was 5.4%. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and reproducibility was moderate (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient = 0.59). Individuals with "excessive" tongue coating had a higher HALT score than those with mild and/or moderate coating (p<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that only the male sex was related to a higher HALT score (p<0.05). Conclusion: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the HALT was easily understood by adolescents. Those with greater tongue coating accumulation reported more frequently the presence of halitosis, which was only associated to male sex.