BackgroundInformation on the impact of oral health on quality of life of children younger than 8 years is mostly based on parental reports, as methodological and conceptual challenges have hindered the development of relevant validated self-reported measures. This study aimed to develop and assess the reliability and validity of a new self-reported oral health related quality of life measure, the Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5), in the UK.MethodsA cross-sectional study of two phases. First, consultation focus groups (CFGs) with parents of 5-year-olds and review by experts informed the development of the SOHO-5 questionnaire. The second phase assessed its reliability and validity on a sample of grade 1 (5-year-old) primary schoolchildren in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, Scotland. Data were linked to available clinical oral health information and analysis involved associations of SOHO-5 with subjective and clinical outcomes.ResultsCFGs identified eating, drinking, appearance, sleeping, smiling, and socialising as the key oral impacts at this age. 332 children participated in the main study and for 296 (55% girls, mean d3mft: 1.3) clinical data were available. Overall, 49.0% reported at least one oral impact on their daily life. The most prevalent impacts were difficulty eating (28.7%), difficulty sleeping (18.5%), avoiding smiling due to toothache (14.9%) and avoiding smiling due to appearance (12.5%). The questionnaire was quick to administer, with very good comprehension levels. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.74 and item-total correlation coefficients ranged between 0.30 and 0.60, demonstrating the internal consistency of the new measure. For validity, SOHO-5 scores were significantly associated with different subjective oral health outcomes (current toothache, toothache lifetime experience, satisfaction with teeth, presence of oral cavities) and an aggregate measure of clinical and subjective oral health outcomes. The new measure also discriminated between different clinical groups in relation to active caries, pulp involvement, and dental sepsis.ConclusionsThis is the first study to develop and validate a self-reported oral health related quality of life measure for 5-year-old children. Initial reliability and validity findings were very satisfactory. SOHO-5 can be a useful tool in clinical studies and public health programs.

span and resources to support evaluation and embedded research projects. The addition of a child oral health programme to the NHDP portfolio was a response to the persistently high rates of dental caries among children in Scotland. These high rates are compounded by significant inequalities in oral health 2 and poor use of and access to services. Annual reports of the Scottish Dental Practice Board 3 have shown low rates of NHS dental registration for young children (35% of 0-2 year-olds in 2004), and a review of the provision of dental care to children registered under the capitation payment system highlighted extremely limited preventive activity. 4 This paper describes the establishment and development of the new child oral health programme since 2005; its companion paper reviews monitoring arrangements and summarises programme activity data. 5

A study of the pharmacological properties of pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine derivatives led to the choice of (+)-1,2,3,11a-tetrahydro-10-methyl-5H-pyrrolol[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine-5,11)10H)-dione as a candidate for anxiolytic evaluation in a limited clinical trial in man. Metabolism studies in laboratory animals have pointed to rapid hydroxylation, possibly in the 3 and 11a positions. A series of compouds containing methyl groups in one or more of these positions has been prepared in an effort to block metabolism and thereby obtain more active or longer acting compounds. All of these derivatives were less active than the parent compound.

The synthesis of a series of 6-(substituted-phenyl)-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazines (VIII) is reported. Some of these derivatives show activity in tests predictive of anxiolytic activity [(a) protection against pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions; (b) thirsty rat conflict procedure]. They also represent a new class of compound which inhibits [3H]diazepam binding. Structure--activity correlations, as well as the ability of structures VIII to inhibit [3H]diazepam binding (in vitro), are discussed.

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