Oral Health Literacy Framework: The Pathway to Improved Oral Health

Abstract

Background: Oral health literacy (OHL) is the degree to which a patient receives, gains, processes and understands basic oral health knowledge, the services available to them and the behaviors required of them to make healthy decisions.Types of studies reviewed: Studies reviewed focused on oral health disparities, barriers to OHL and patient-provider communication, parental engagement and factors contributing to the improvement of OHL for vulnerable communities.Results: The consequences of low OHL are far reaching and compounded by disparities that already exist for patients and communities on multiple levels. This article discusses barriers to OHL, the impact of OHL on oral health and oral health disparities and recommendations for improving patient OHL.Practical implications: The article provides a proposed conceptual framework that discusses the potential mechanism of upstream and intermediate factors impacting OHL and how OHL affects oral health outcomes.