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Validation of a French Version of the DHEQ

Validation of a French Version of the DHEQ - Oral Health-related Quality of Life and Dentin Hypersensitivity

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06466200
Acronym
DHEQ-VALID
Enrollment
216
Registered
2024-06-20
Start date
2024-06-25
Completion date
2025-11-07
Last updated
2026-03-12

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Dentin Hypersensitivity, Quality of Life

Keywords

Oral health, Dentin Hypersensitivity, Quality of Life

Brief summary

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) results in brief, sharp pain in response to a stimulus. It often seems to be underdiagnosed but also undertreated due to the lack of consensus on the topic. DH has been shown to affects patients' quality of life. The Dentine Hypersensitivity Experience Questionnaire (DHEQ)is developed and validated : which is questionnaire assessing specifically the impact of DH on patient's quality of life. The DHEQ aims to help diagnose DH and assess the impact and subjective experience of the patient in order to better meet their expectations in terms of treatment. A French version, the DHEQ-fr, has been proposed (translation-counter-translation process and pilot study); however, it has not yet been validated (psychometric tests, test-retest). The main objective of the present study is to validate DHEQ-fr through a multicenter clinical study (three centers in France) in adult patients. The secondary objective is to compare the results of DHEQ-fr with those of the general oral health assessment index and oral health impact profil for the same patients. Patients are split between three DH groups (Schiff scores 1, 2 and 3) and a control group (non-DH). The overall sample size (all centers considered) for the DH group is 162 subjects divided into 54 subjects for each Schiff score (1 to 3; after cold air stimulation), with a control group of 54 subjects. A re-test will be performed, at 15 days, on a random sample of 60 subjects from the study population (in total: 15 non-DH subjects; 15 with a Schiff score of 1; 15 with a score of 2; 15 with a score of 3). The study of psychometric properties such as acceptability, internal consistency, reproducibility and internal structure validity will allow the validation of this French version of the DHEQ.

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTSchiff Test

Use of an air syringe positioned perpendicular to the tooth surface at a distance of 1 cm. A scale to determine the intensity of DH was created, with the SASS (Shiff Analog Sensitivity Scale) ranging from 0 to 3 (0 being the absence of pain felt by the patient and 3 being pain considered intolerable). If the pain is greater than 1 then the patient is considered hypersensitive.

OTHERGOHAI questionnaire

Oral health-related quality of life assessment by questionnaire

OTHEROHIP questionnaire

Oral health-related quality of life assessment by questionnaire

OTHERDHEQ fr questionnaire

dentin hypersensitivity and oral health-related quality of life assessment by questionnaire

Sponsors

University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

During their management in the 3 study centers, if the diagnosis of dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is made, a patient may be offered to participate in the study. The group of patients without DH (control group) will consist of patients who meet the inclusion and non-inclusion criteria and who agree to participate. Participants will answer the questionnaires on their first visit. A second visit will be organized for the 60 patients randomly selected for a re-test at 15 days.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Patients who are able to understand the study

Exclusion criteria

* Teeth with other pathologies in addition to HD (carious lesions, cracked enamel, etc.); * Abutment teeth for fixed or removable dentures and crown teeth; * Teeth with restorations involving the inner third of the dentin and/or restorations involving the dentinary/root exposure area; * Patients who have been on or have undergone desensitizing therapy for HD in the past three months; * Patients who have received periodontal surgery within the last three months; * Patients with orthodontic devices who have interrupted orthodontic treatment in the last three months; * Pregnant or breastfeeding patients; * Patients under guardianship, curatorship, safeguard of justice * Patients deprived of liberty * Patients participating in any other clinical study.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
the DHEQ-fr questionnaireone yearThe 50 items constituting the original questionnaire can be divided in the following sections : Items #1-6: description of the sensations related to the pathology Items #7-9: scoring, using a visual analogue scale (VAS), of the intensity, the bothersomeness and the tolerability related to DH Items #10-45: scoring, using a seven-point Likert scale, of the impact of DH on QoL. Five domains or impact subscales can be identified: functional restriction (five items), adaptation (12 items), social impact (five items), emotional impact (eight items) and identity (six items) Item #46: A global oral health rating, with responses on a five-point Likert scale (from "excellent" to "very poor") Items #47-50: The questionnaire also contains four items recording the impact of the sensations on life overall, with responses on a five-point Likert scale (from "not at all" to "very much")

Countries

France

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSophie Domejean

CHU de Clermont-Ferrand

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 13, 2026