Translation and preliminary validation of the Greek version of the Xerostomia Inventory in older people

Abstract

Introduction: The Xerostomia Inventory (XI) has been developed to assess self-perceived xerostomia. The aim of this study was to describe the translation and the preliminary validation of the XI in older Greeks. Materials and methods: The XI was translated into Greek and then back translated into English. Minor modifications were performed after a pilot testing and the final scale was interviewer-administered in 100 older participants visiting Open Care Community Centers for Older People in Athens. The preliminary validation procedure included calculation of the internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's α coefficient and corrected item-total correlations, principal component analysis, investigation of the discriminant validity by testing any variation related to sociomedical and oral variables and concurrent validity assessing the correlation between the XI and the response to a single question about self-perceived mouth dryness. Results: The factor analysis XI revealed a modified seven-item scale (XI-7), showing good internal consistency (Cronbach's α: 0.78). There were significant correlations with self-perceived mouth dryness, indicating satisfying concurrent validity, and significant differences related to depression, diabetes, antidepressive medications and polypharmacy showing acceptable discriminant validity. Conclusions: The preliminary investigation of the Greek version of the Xerostomia Inventory revealed a 7-item questionnaire that demonstrated good internal consistency and validity and will be further tested in older patients. © 2015 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS