Translation, cultural adaptation, and preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Bengali version of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14bn)

Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) instruments require linguistic translation, cultural adaptation, and psychometric testing before use in new populations. Bengali is widely spoken, but a Bengali version of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) has not yet undergone adequate psychometric evaluation. This study translated, culturally adapted, and evaluated the preliminary psychometric properties of the Bengali OHIP-14 (OHIP-14bn). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 Bengali-speaking adult patients attending a teaching dental hospital. The OHIP-14 was translated using forward translation and blinded back-translation, followed by qualitative expert review. Participants completed the OHIP-14bn including questions on dental pain, dental attendance, and sociodemographic characteristics and underwent clinical oral examination. Item responses were recoded to a 0–4 scale and summed to generate a total score of 0–56. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega total, corrected item-total correlations, and alpha-if-item-deleted analyses. Structural validity was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and ordinal confirmatory factor analysis comparing single-factor, higher-order seven-domain, and correlated seven-domain models. Hypothesis-based construct validity was assessed using known-groups comparisons and clinical correlations. The mean OHIP-14bn total score was 20.63 ± 8.73, and the median was 21.00 (IQR, 15.25–26.00). Cronbach’s alpha was 0.924, McDonald’s omega total was 0.948, and corrected item-total correlations ranged from 0.463 to 0.749. Exploratory factor analysis supported a dominant general factor explaining 56.5% of the variance, with loadings of 0.596–0.830. The higher-order seven-domain model demonstrated satisfactory fit (CFI = 0.997, TLI = 0.996, RMSEA = 0.047, SRMR = 0.058), whereas the single-factor model showed mixed fit and the correlated seven-domain model produced an improper solution. OHIP-14bn scores were higher among participants reporting oral pain, requiring partial dentures, or requiring pulp care. The OHIP-14bn demonstrated strong internal consistency and preliminary evidence of structural and hypothesis-based construct validity in this single-site, treatment-seeking clinical sample. Because the sample was predominantly rural and male and 90.5% required pulp care, generalizability beyond similar Bengali-speaking clinical populations is limited. Broader use requires cognitive debriefing with intended respondents, quantitative content-validity assessment, test–retest reliability, responsiveness testing, and independent confirmation of the factor structure.