Development of the European Portuguese version of the oral health assessment tool: content validity and reliability study in an elderly population

Abstract

Aims: Poor oral health is a risk factor for aspiration pneumonia (AP), especially in elderly patients at risk of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD). In Portugal, available tools to screen oral problems in nursing homes are scarce. The oral health assessment tool (OHAT) is a screening tool that assesses elderly residents’ oral health. This study aims to translate and validate the tool for the European Portuguese (EP) context. Methods: The original version was translated into EP throughout a forwardbackward translation process. An instruction manual was created. Content of both documents were assessed by a panel of eight experts. The content validity Index was calculated. A reliability study was conducted in three nursing homes by two speech and language therapists in two different moments, separated by 48 h. Results: A sample of 30 institutionalized elderly with a mean age of 77 years was analyzed. The EP version and its instruction manual presented a content validity Index greater than 0.88 in all its items. Total scores showed excellent inter-rater and good intra-rater results. Conclusion: The EP version showed to be a reliable and valid tool for the screening of oral health conditions of institutionalized older adults at risk of OD.