Test--retest reliability of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49) in adults with systemic sclerosis.

PURPOSE: To assess the test-retest reliability of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) in 3-month intervals among people with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
METHODS: Thirty-nine adults with SSc completed the OHIP-49 at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Intraclass correlation (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), SEM%, coefficient of repeatability (CoR), and 95% limits of agreement (LoA) were used to assess test-retest reliability and measurement variability.
RESULTS: The ICC of the OHIP for the first time point (baseline to 3-month) was excellent (>.80), and the second time point (3-month to 6-month) demonstrated good reproducibility (>.60). However, the large SEM, SEM%, CoR, and 95% LoA indicated that the OHIP was neither a precise measurement nor sensitive to change in response to interventions.
CONCLUSION: The values of the ICC indicated that the OHIP scores demonstrated acceptable stability across each of the two 3 months' retest duration, supporting the reliability of the OHIP for group-level comparisons. However, using the OHIP as a measure of an individual's oral health-related quality of life in adults with SSc is not recommended. ©2013 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.