# Development of a PROMIS measure for adult dental patients

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2020 · $652,431

## Abstract

Fourteen years ago, PROMIS, the Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System, was created
as the most advanced system of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. It promises efficient, reliable, and
valid assessments of how patients perceive their health; however, no measures specific to oral health are
available. This situation impedes solid PRO measurement in dentistry and also prevents PROMIS from capturing
health more comprehensively. We propose to develop for adults a set of four oral health instruments using
PROMIS methodology, based on the recently determined dimensions of oral health-related quality of life,
OHRQoL (Oral Function, Orofacial Pain, Orofacial Appearance, Psychosocial Impact). These dimensions
represent the main areas where patients perceive the impact of oral disorders. More than 53 patient-reported
oral health instruments for adult patients would merge into a standardized, flexible and precise metric to measure
oral health impact across oral conditions and dental settings. A profile of four scores, based on the four
dimensions, would form the patient-reported oral health metric and characterize a patient’s standing in the space
of patient-reported oral health with four “coordinates” – one for each dimension. The goals of this proposal are
(i) to explore how well available instruments cover the spectrum of the four patient-reported oral health
dimensions Oral Function, Orofacial Pain, Orofacial Appearance, and Psychosocial Impact, (ii) to develop four
preliminary item banks, one for each dimension, (iii) to develop four final item banks, one for each dimension,
and (iv) to develop four fixed-length instruments based on the item banks, one for each dimension.
Existing OHRQoL and other patient-reported oral health data from 2,115 dental patients will be used in secondary
data analyses to explore the severity spectrum of the four patient-reported oral health dimensions and how well
available questionnaire items cover this spectrum. Questionnaire items from 53 already identified self-report
instruments will be supplemented by a systematic search for new questionnaires/items. All identified items will
undergo a mixed-methods approach to be synthesized through focus groups and cognitive interviews with
representative patient groups. Our process will follow the PROMIS Qualitative Item Review method to identify,
evaluate, and revise items to create four preliminary item banks. Next, in a new sample of 2,000 dental patients
covering the entire spectrum of functional, painful, aesthetical, and broader psychosocial problems related to
oral disorders, the previously generated four preliminary item banks will be investigated and calibrated using
item response theory analyses to derive four final item banks. A fixed-length instrument will be derived from each
item bank, and its psychometric properties will be evaluated.
This project will introduce PROMIS methodology to an important patient population, adult dental patients. Fou...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978017
- **Project number:** 5R01DE028059-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Mike John
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $652,431
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978017

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978017, Development of a PROMIS measure for adult dental patients (5R01DE028059-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978017. Licensed CC0.

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