Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the revised illness perception questionnaire for oral health (IPQ-R-OH) in patients with dental caries.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries is a common oral disease with significant implications for oral health. To develop effective interventions, assessing oral health perceptions in the Turkish population is essential. Despite this, there is currently no validated Turkish version of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire for Oral Health (IPQ-R-OH). The purpose of this study is to perform validity and reliability analyses on the Turkish version of the IPQ-R-OH. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was employed, and data were collected between September and November 2022 at the Faculty of Dentistry, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University. Participants aged 18-65 were recruited using a convenience sampling method. Individuals who were literate, systemically healthy, and not pregnant or lactating were included. Following a standardized clinical oral examination based on WHO criteria, eligible participants completed a structured questionnaire that included socio-demographic and clinical variables along with the IPQ-R-OH. RESULTS: A total of 440 participants (54.8% women; mean age = 31.1 years) were included in the analysis. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) led to the removal of six items, resulting in a 30-item, seven-factor structure explaining 59.5% of the total variance. Internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) ranged from 0.58 to 0.86 across the factors. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the construct validity of the revised model, with acceptable fit indices (RMSEA = 0.060, NFI = 0.900, CFI = 0.901, and χ²/df = 2.573). CONCLUSIONS: The translated version of IPQ-R-OH was found to be valid and reliable for the Turkish population. The Turkish version of IPQ-R-OH is appropriate for patients with dental caries to evaluate their perceptions of the disease, their expectations from treatment, and their psychometric properties.