Response shift in oral health-related quality of life measurement in patients with partial edentulism

Summary The purposes of this study were to determine whether a response shift was observable after partial denture treatment and to identify the predictors that influenced the response shift magnitude and direction. A total of 173 consecutive patients with no more than eight missing teeth who received implant‐supported, fixed or removable partial dentures at Okayama University Dental Hospital were asked to complete a full‐version Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) questionnaire before (pre‐test) and after treatment (post‐test). Additionally, a short form (then‐test) consisting of seven questions selected from the full version had its reliability verified and was utilised to retrospectively assess the pre‐treatment OHRQoL status. The difference between the summary scores of the then‐test and the pre‐test determined the response shift magnitude and direction. The then‐test mean score (22·9 ± 6·6) was significantly lower (worse OHRQoL) than that of the pre‐test (26·4 ± 5·2). The response shift effect size was of moderate magnitude and negative direction (d = −0·78). A multiple regression analysis showed that age (younger patients) (P