Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the munich dysphagia test - parkinson's disease

In this study, it was aimed to translate the Munich Dysphagia Test – Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (T-MDT-PD) into Turkish and to test its reliability and validity by applying it to individuals diagnosed with Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease. 60 participants (mean age = 64.45± 10.15 years) were asked to fill out The Turkish version of the MDT-PD (T-MDT-PD), the Turkish version of the Eating Assessment Tool (T-EAT-10) and the Turkish version of the Swallowing Quality of Life Questionnaire (T-SWAL-QOL). In addition, food texture levels of 0, 3, and 7 that were defined by The International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) were tested by administering Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) to 51 of the participants. The reliability of the T-MDT-PD was evaluated using internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha) and test-retest method. Convergent technique was used in order to assess the validity of the questionnaire. Correlation between T-EAT-10, T-SWAL-QOL, PAS, FOIS and other investigated VFSS parameters was calculated. The level of significance in the study was determined as 0.05. When the results of the study were analyzed, the Cronbach alpha coefficient showing the internal consistency of the T-MDT-PD was found to be 0.92, and it was found to have a high level of reliability. Test-retest reliability, on the other hand, showed that there was a high level of correlation between the results of the two tests (rs = .60), and there was no significant difference between the means of the two tests. A significant positive correlation was found between T-MDT-PD and T-EAT-10 (r = 0.32). While there was a negative significant relationship between T-MDT-PD and the 'frequency of symptoms' sub-dimension of T-SWAL-QOL (r = -0.26), it was concluded that there was no significant relationship between other sub-dimensions and T-MDT-PD. The relationship between T-MDT-PD and PAS score of IDDSI level 3 food texture was significant (r = -0.39), but there was no significant relationship between PAS scores of other food texture levels and FOIS. The consistency between the raters scoring the VFSS parameters was almost perfect. Generally, there was no significant difference between T-MDT-PD and VFSS parameters. Only the amount of residue in the vallecula parameter of the IDDSI level 3 food texture and swallowing reflex triggered place parameter of the IDDSI level 7 food texture differed significantly from T-MDT-PD (p< 0.05). Moreover, no significant difference was observed in T-MDT-PD mean scores according to gender, age, disease duration (time of diagnosis), and Hoehn Yahr stage. As a result of the research, it was understood that the T-MDT-PD questionnaire was a reliable and linguistically, psychometrically and convergently valid scale for evaluating dysphagia symptom in Parkinson's. Its diagnostic validity was found to be insufficient. We think that T-MDT-PD will contribute to the detection of dysphagia in Parkinson's disease, which is very common in the community. Keywords: T-MDT-PD, swallowing disorders, dysphagia, Parkinson's disease, validity, reliability