• C L Nzomiwu, E O Sote, and F A Oredugba.
• Department of Child Dental Health, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Lagos.
• West Afr J Med. 2018 May 1; 35 (2): 102-108.

ObjectivesThe Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) has been used in different countries and in different versions to assess the impact of oral health conditions on preschoolers. This study aimed to develop the Nigeria Pidgin English version of ECOHIS and investigate its psychometric properties.MethodsThe Nigerian Pidgin English version (NAIJA ECOHIS) was developed from the English version using the forward-backward translation technique. One hundred and four children aged 2-5 years attending a clinic were recruited for the study and the new version was administered to their parents/caregivers. Validity of the instrument was assessed based on the relationship between the NAIJA-ECOHIS scores and the global health rating scores using Spearman's rank correlation. The internal consistency reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha coefficient while the test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient by using scores of fifty participants who reported no change in their symptoms after one week.ResultsThe NAIJA-ECOHIS version was created with some modifications to the original version. The association between the NAIJA ECOHIS scores and the two global questions as well as the correlation between the child and family sections were statistically significant (p <0.001). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the child section, family section and Total NAIJA ECOHIS scores were 0.83, 0.79 and 0.86 respectively demonstrating good internal consistency.ConclusionThe NAIJA ECOHIS version was valid and reliable for assessing oral health related quality of life of preschool children whose parents/caregivers speak the Nigerian Pidgin English.

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