Sensitivity and responsiveness to change for the Brazilian version of the child perceptions questionnaire for 8- to 10-year-old children

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the sensitivity and responsiveness to change for the Brazilian version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ8–10) after dental caries treatment. Subject and methods: Thirty children aged 8 to 10 years old with untreated dental caries were randomly selected from public schools. They responded to the CPQ8–10 before and 1 month after finishing treatment for dental caries. Sensitivity was assessed by determining distribution changes using paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Responsiveness to change was evaluated by effect size (ES) and standardized response mean (SRM). Minimally important differences (MIDs) were also evaluated. Results: Mean/median pre-treatment values for the total CPQ8–10 score and subscales were significantly higher than the post-treatment values (p < 0.05). ES was large (effect size ≥ 0.8) for the total CPQ8–10 score and oral symptoms (OS), functional limitations (FL) and emotional wellbeing (EW) subscales and moderate (effect size 0.3–0.7) for the social wellbeing (SW) subscale. SRM values were moderate (0.3–0.7) for the total CPQ8–10 score and FL, EW and SW subscales and high (≥ 0.8) for the OS subscale. MID values for the total CPQ8–10 score and all subscales were lower than the mean score change. Conclusion: The Brazilian version of the CPQ8–10 is sensitive and responsive enough to detect changes brought about by dental caries treatment. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.