Translation and validation of the Hungarian version of the Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire

Introduction: Facial appearance undoubtedly has a strong influence on human life. While a harmonic and beautiful facial form may raise self-esteem, dentofacial deformities can lead not only to functional but also to aesthetic and psychosocial problems. Oral health-related quality of life is measured by several non-specific questionnaires but an adequate instrument for testing the quality of life in patients with dentofacial deformities in Hungarian is not yet available. Objective: Cross-cultural translation and validation of the most frequently used Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ) into Hungarian. Method: The original 22-item OQLQ was translated from English to Hungarian (OQLQ-H) by a forward-backwards translation method. The questionnaire was filled out by patients who voluntarily agreed to take part in the study. Validity was evaluated according to the international guidelines. Reliability was evaluated by test-retest analysis. Internal consistency was measured by Cronbach's alpha. Results: OQLQ-H proved to be a reliable questionnaire with good validity and internal consistency. Conclusion: OQLQ-H is a reliable and valid measurement tool to assess dentofacial deformities in the Hungarian speaking population and therefore its use is recommended.