Health literacy on oral health practice and condition in an adult and elderly population

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of health literacy (HL) on health practices and oral health outcomes in an adult and elderly population in Brazil. A cross-sectional study nested in a cohort study was followed up over a period of four years (2011 and 2015) and assessed individuals between 23 and 69 years old from Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected by means of oral examinations (coronal caries, periodontal disease and visible biofilm) and interviews (socioeconomic, demographic, oral health-related quality of life, health practices and HL). The 14-item Health Literacy Scale (HLS) was used for HL data, which was the main explanatory variable. The result of the sum of the HLS-14 questionnaire for each participant was dichotomized into the median (46 points): 'high' and 'low' HL. Binary/multinomial logistic regressions were performed on health practice and oral health outcomes, controlled by age and sex (Model 1) and age, sex and socioeconomic status (Model 2; p < 0.05). The final sample consisted of 137 subjects and 43.8% (n = 60) presented low HL (LHL). LHL was associated with health practices, such as use of public dental services in Model 1 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.14-0.87) and use of dental services for emergency in Model 1 (OR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.29-5.51) and Model 2 (OR = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.17-7.30). Based on age and sex, LHL was associated with use of public dental service and use of emergency dental visits. Based on age, sex and socioeconomic status, LHL was associated with use of emergency dental visits.