Objectives: Questionnaires that measure oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children and adolescents have emerged in recent years as an important source of patient-reported outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate potential effects of the method of administration (face-to-face interview, telephone interview, or self-administered questionnaire) in 11- to 14-year-old children and adolescents on OHRQoL information obtained using the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ).
Materials and methods: OHRQoL was measured using the German version of the CPQ (CPQ-G11-14). The instrument was administered to 42 children and adolescents aged 11 to 14 years using the three different methods in a randomized order with an interval of 1 week between each administration. Test-retest reliability for the repeated CPQ-G11-14 assessments across the three methods of administration, internal consistency, and convergent validity were determined.
Results: The CPQ-G11-14 mean summary scores did not vary statistically significantly across the three administration methods (P = 0.274). Test-retest reliability was moderate to good (ICC 0.69-0.82), internal consistency was satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha 0.85-0.88), and CPQ-G11-14 mean summary scores were correlated in the expected direction with a global measure of self-reported oral health for all the three administration methods.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the method of administration (face-to-face interview, telephone interview, or self-administered questionnaire) did not influence CPQ-G11-14 scores in 11- to 14-year-old children and adolescents to a significant extent.
Clinical relevance: Investigators in German-speaking countries can choose between all three methods of administration to obtain valid and reliable OHRQoL information.
Keywords: Administration methods; Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ); Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).