Introduction Dysphagia is common in head and neck cancer patients; it is associated with significant morbidity, including quality of life. Several instruments can be used to assess the quality of life of dysphagia patients, including the M.D Anderson dysphagia inventory (MDADI) questionnaire, which is sufficiently valid and reliable to improve the quality of life of patients with neurological disorders and head and neck cancer.

Objective The purpose of the present study is to perform adaptation, cultural translation, and validation of the MDADI questionnaire for the Indonesian language.

Methods This cross-sectional study assessed the validity and reliability of the MDADI Indonesian adaptation instrument in head and neck cancer patients with swallowing disorders in the Otorhinolaryngology clinic of the Dr. Sardjito hospital, Yogyakarta, from May to August 2019.

Results There were 40 study subjects, including 31 men and 9 women. The MDADI instrument adapted to Indonesian is valid and reliable as an instrument for assessing the quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer with swallowing disorders, with r-values ranging from 0.314 to 0.939. Internal consistency shows that Cronbach's α is 0.915, and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation) ranges from 0.919 to 0.985.

Conclusion The translation and validation of the Indonesian MDADI instrument were performed as an instrument for assessing the quality of life of head and neck cancer patients with swallowing disorders.