Portuguese Version of the Oral Frailty Index-8: Instrument Validation Study

Abstract

Background: The concept of oral frailty has gained scientific and clinical relevance in recent years, and early detection can facilitate timely intervention to manage its progression. The Oral Frailty Index-8 (OFI-8) was developed to assess community-dwelling older adults at risk for oral frailty.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the psychometric validity of the OFI-8 in the Portuguese population, named the Portuguese version of the OFI-8 (OFI-8-PT), which may serve as a reference for future studies related to longevity and oral function.

Methods: This study included 2 main phases, involving patients aged 60 years or older, Portuguese speakers, and those who consented to participate in the study. First, the researchers translated and cross-culturally adapted the original questionnaire to make it suitable for native Portuguese speakers. The translated tool was then assessed for psychometric validation, which consisted of test-retest reliability, internal consistency, construct validity, and sex invariance measurement.

Results: A total of 159 older adults participated in the baseline survey, with almost equal numbers of male (n=79, 49.7%) and female participants (n=80, 50.3%). The OFI-8-PT demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach α=0.95) and construct validity (goodness-of-fit index=0.96; comparative fit index=0.85; and root mean square error of approximation=0.05, 90% CI 0.00-0.09). The study found sex invariance, indicating that the OFI-8-PT is equally valid for male and female participants, and the tested-retest reliability of the OFI-8-PT was good, indicating consistent results over time.

Conclusions: The OFI-8-PT showed psychometric validity and good reliability to be used in the Portuguese population.

Keywords: aging; confirmatory factor analysis; dentistry; frailty; functional disability; oral frailty; oral health; psychometric validity; questionnaire development.