Objectives: Current measures of oral health-related quality of life do not apply to children. Consequently, we developed a measure, the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ), to assess the impact of oral and oro-facial conditions on children aged 11 to 14 years. This forms one component of the Child Oral Health Quality of Life Questionnaire. Methods: 46 items concerning symptoms, functional limitations, emotional and social well-being were developed using a literature review, and interviews with 41 parents of and 11 children with the conditions of interest. Eighty-three children recruited from dental, orthodontic and craniofacial clinics then rated the frequency and importance of these items. The 37 most frequent and bothersome items were selected for the CPQ. Validity and reliability were assessed in a study involving a new sample of 103 11-14 year-olds recruited from the same clinical locations. Results: Mean CPQ scores were highest for oro-facial (66.2), lower for orthodontic (62.4) and lowest for dental (59.9) patients. There were significant associations between scores and children's global ratings of their oral health (p<0.05) and overall well-being (p<.001). Internal consistency reliabilities were: symptoms - 0.62; functional limitations - 0.74; emotional impact - 0.86; social impact - 0.80. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the CPQ was 0.90 demonstrating perfect reproducibility. Conclusions: These results suggest that children aged 11 to 14 years are able to give valid and reliable reports of their oral health-related quality of life. (Supported by The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation: XG99-085)

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