Abstract
In clinical settings, dentists frequently come across patients with variable oral health literacy, and they are not always able to tell which patients might comprehend with health-related explanations and instructions. Objective: To calculate oral health literacy level of patients reporting for dental treatment and correlation of the aforementioned with patients’ decision-making capacity regarding dental treatment. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted with a pilot study on 60 patients in University Dental Hospital, University of Lahore through non-probability purposive sampling technique. Sample of 200 patients was collected over a period of five months (June 2022-October 2022). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Study was divided into two phases; in Phase I, REALD-30 scale was used. Phase-II involved individuals scoring 11-30 points on REALD-30 scale and who had to complete a self-administered 5-point Likert scale questionnaire with eleven closed-ended items in order to determine their level of decision-making. Results: Study revealed that there was significant association between Oral Health Literacy Level with getting prior information concerning dental issue (p=0.032), ability to appraise the decided treatment plan (p=0.033) and opinion regarding follow up visits (p=0.026). Conclusions: The results of the current study revealed a tenuous link between education, employment position, oral health literacy, and decision-making regarding dental treatment strategy. Effective patient-dentist communication generates strong link between the two leading to compliance of patients with treatment plan suggested by experts
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
