Abstract
The present study aimed to validate (cross-culturally adapt and test psychometric properties) the Brazilian version of the Halitosis Associated Life-Quality Test (HALT). A process of translation and cross-cultural adaptation was conducted by a group of dental researchers. The first draft of the Brazilian Portuguese version was pre-tested on a sample of 33 individuals leading up to the final version of the questionnaire. The Brazilian version of the HALT (B-HALT) was applied to 100 individuals with halitosis (organoleptic score ≥ 2) and 100 individuals without halitosis (organoleptic score < 2). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to evaluate the dimensionality of B-HALT. Cronbach's alpha (α) and interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to measure its reliability. For convergent validity, Spearman's correlation was conducted between the B-HALT and the organoleptic scores. The discriminant validity was evaluated through the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. EFA confirmed the unidimensionality of B-HALT, which has also demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = 0.96) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.93). There was a positive correlation between B-HALT and organoleptic scores (r = 0.33; p < 0.001). B-HALT was able to discriminate between the groups with and without halitosis measured by the organoleptic method (p < 0.001) and self-reported halitosis (p < 0.001). B-HALT has demonstrated to be a reliable and valid tool to evaluate the oral health-related quality of life associated to halitosis in Brazilian adults.
Highlights
Halitosis is a general term to describe the malodor emanating from the oral cavity, being perceptible by others, and many times creating personal discomfort and embarrassment.[1]
Because of the lack of a validated Brazilian instrument that measures the impact of halitosis in self-perceived oral health-related quality of life considering the social-cultural reality in Brazil, the aim of the present study was to cross-culturally adapt the Halitosis Associated Life-Quality Test (HALT) to Brazilian Portuguese, and test the Brazilian version’s (B-HALT) validity and reliability
The HALT questionnaire, originally written in English, was evaluated as a tool for measuring the oral health-related quality of life associated to halitosis.[15]
Summary
Halitosis is a general term to describe the malodor emanating from the oral cavity, being perceptible by others, and many times creating personal discomfort and embarrassment.[1]. Self-reported oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) tools aim to capture the subjective aspect of oral health, taking into consideration. The individual’s own perception of their conditions, limitations, and quality of life.[7,8] Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are validated and standardized questionnaires used to evaluate individuals’ opinion and investigate self-perceived health condition, level of compromise, incapacity and health-related quality of life.[9] PROMs are import tools that could indicate OHRQoL from patients’ experience data as well as direct changes to how healthcare is organized and offered.[7]
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