To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Oral Heath Impact Profile (OHIP-14) to measure oral health in children.The OHIP-14 questionnaire was applied to 312 schoolchildren aged 12 years residing in Sabará, Brazil, in 2001. OHIP-14's reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and correlation intraclass coefficient. For examining content validity, Pearson's correlation and logistic regression analysis were applied. For construct validity, Student's t-test and Tukey-Kramer test were used.Tooth loss among the subjects was low in this study (between 85% and 100%). Caries prevalence was very low and not detectable in 59.0% of the sample. The logistic regression model showed high predictive values for reporting treatment need and intermediate values for dental caries perception. The comparison between different OHIP average scores, according to the DMF-S index's three categories of decayed, missing, filled surfaces, indicated significant difference only for the categories social disability and deficit.The study results indicated that the adolescents did not report high prevalence of oral conditions. The OHIP was associated with perceived treatment need, reporting of dental caries and increased DMF-S index. These results suggest that the OHIP has good psychometric properties when applied to children and could be a promising instrument for screening priority care groups.