Translation and validation of a French version of the Xerostomia Inventory.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the transcultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the French-language version of the Xerostomia Inventory (XI-Fr). In total, 65 patients aged 65years or older were recruited from three departments of a single French hospital. Patients had to have a Mini Mental State Examination score of 10 or more and be able to read and write French. The XI-Fr was administered to all patients after transcultural adaptation, at the start of the study, and again at 7days after inclusion. We assessed reliability, acceptability, validity, internal consistency and reproducibility of the instrument in its French-language version. The XI-Fr showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.79) and good reliability (intra-class correlation 0.83) at 7days. Convergent validity showed no relation between salivary flow and XI-Fr score, as with the original instrument. Discriminant validity showed a positive correlation between the XI-Fr and the GOHAI, but no difference for the MNA or miniGDS scores. The XI-Fr is a valid and reliable measure of xerostomia in French, with psychometric properties comparable to those of the original English-language version.