The psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics questionnaire—translation and cross-cultural validation in Croatia

To perform a translation and validation of the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics questionnaire (PIDAQ) in the Croatian cultural context.

A total of 262 subjects (34 % males) aged 18–30 years (mean age 22.7 ± 2.6) were included. The questionnaire included the PIDAQ, a self-assessment of satisfaction with dental aesthetics, a self-perceived dental treatment need assessment, self-reported malocclusion, an aesthetic component of index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN AC) and an oral health impact profile (OHIP-14 CRO). The subjects’ orthodontic treatment needs were assessed by a dentist using the dental health and aesthetic component of the IOTN. The internal consistency, test–retest reliability, validity and responsiveness were assessed. Little’s Irregularity index was used to correlate the amount of resolution of dental crowding by orthodontic treatment with the change in PIDAQ domains.

The domains of the Croatian version of the PIDAQ showed satisfactory internal consistency (α ranging from 0.79 to 0.95) and high test–retest reliability (r > 0.85). The significant association between the PIDAQ domains and self-reported satisfaction with teeth appearance, IOTN AC and OHIP-14 CRO (p < 0.001) confirmed the convergent validity. The domains were able to detect differences in the subjects’ psychosocial impact related to orthodontic treatment that improved dental aesthetics in responsiveness testing (p < 0.001).

The Croatian version of the PIDAQ demonstrated good psychometric properties, similar to those of the original.