OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to translate and adapt cross-culturally the OHLI into French, to evaluate its psychometric properties and to compare its results to oral health knowledge.
METHOD: This study followed and applied well-established processes of translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation, based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization guidelines and on the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) study design checklist for patient-reported outcomes. Two psychometric assessments were planned, the comparison of OHLI-F scores according to education level and frequency of dental visits, and the test-retest reliability of the OHLI-F.
RESULTS: A total of 284 participants answered the OHLI-F. The OHLI-F scores were significantly different between participants with different levels of education and frequency of dental visits (p F scores. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.881-0.914). Test-retest reliability was very high (intraclass correlation = 0.985 to 0.996).
CONCLUSION: The OHLI-F has demonstrated adequate psychometric properties and can therefore be used to measure oral health literacy in French-speaking populations.