Oral Health Literacy Level Research Articles

Perceived Oral Health Literacy, Behaviors, and Oral Health Care among Caregivers to the Homebound Population

This study aimed to explore the level of perceived oral health literacy (OHL) among caregivers of the homebound population in the Chicago metropolitan area and how caregivers’ OHL impacts their oral care to the homebound population. The relationships between demographic characteristics, perceived OHL levels, personal oral health behaviors, and oral health care to clients were also assessed. This cross-sectional survey research examined 69 caregivers of the homebound population employed by home health agencies. The OHL was determined by the validated Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). Independent t-tests, chi-square tests set at p < .05 significance level, and logistic regressions were used for analysis. The mean age of participants was 43. The HeLD-14 scores indicated a high perceived OHL among this group. Caregivers came from diverse groups, and the majority spoke a second language at home. About 93% performed oral self-care the recommended amount of time or more, while only 57% did it for their clients. Those who cleaned clients’ mouth twice a day had a higher OHL score ( M = 23 compared to M = 19). About 43% did not check for sores in the client’s mouth, and those who checked had a higher OHL score ( M = 25 compared to M = 19). Controlling for OHL, age was a good predictor of oral care frequency to clients. These findings provide current evidence and add to the body of knowledge on OHL among homebound individuals. The results provide insights for designing a preventive approach in oral health care to the homebound population.

Contextual and individual factors associated with oral health literacy in adolescents: A multi-level approach.

This study aimed to evaluate the association of contextual and individual factors with Oral Health literacy (OHL) in early adolescence. This is a population-based cross-sectional study carried out with 740 12-year-old adolescents randomly selected by a two-stage probabilistic cluster sampling process from schools in Campina Grande, Brazil. The guardians provided sociodemographic information. Adolescents answered the Brazilian version of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales (FACES III) to measure family functioning, and the Brazilian Rapid Estimate of Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD-30) to measure OHL. Descriptive analysis was conducted, followed by robust Poisson's regression analysis for complex samples with a multilevel approach (p<0.05). Rate ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The two levels of the analysis were students and schools. Adolescents enrolled at schools with higher grade-retention rate had slightly worse OHL scores (RR = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.98 to 0.99). The following individual factors were associated with the level of OHL: the female sex (RR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.10), mother's schooling more than eight years (RR = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.19), younger guardians (RR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.90 to 0.97) and a balanced family functioning (RR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.14). Individual and contextual factors were associated with OHL in early adolescence.

The Associations between Oral Health Literacy and Oral Health-Related Behaviours among Community-Dwelling Older People in Thailand

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the associations between oral health literacy and oral health behaviours among community-dwelling older adults in Thailand.&#x0D; &#x0D; MATERIAL &amp;amp; METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the District Health Promoting Hospitals (DHPH), Panarae district, Pattani province, Thailand, between 1-30 June 2020. A total of 271 community-dwelling older adults participated in the study. The inclusion criteria were independent living elderly who were 60 years or over and had at least one remaining tooth. Those who had a communication problem, severe chronic diseases, or disabilities were excluded. Data were collected by questionnaire interviewing. Binary logistic regression was analyzed.&#x0D; &#x0D; RESULTS: In the final model of regression analyses, older age (OR = 1.810, p = 0.035), limited education levels (OR = 2.113, p = 0.027), and participants who had the frequency of tooth brushing less than two times per day (OR = 1.905, p = 0.047) were statistically significant predictors of lower oral health literacy levels.&#x0D; &#x0D; CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirmed the strong associations between OHL and age, education levels, including the frequency of toothbrushing in the participants. This evidence indicates that an appropriate education program about oral health promotion probably induce adequate oral health literacy among the older population.

Association between Oral Health Literacy and Socioeconomic Variables in Users of Centers for Dental Specialties

Objective: To test possible associations between Oral Health Literacy (OHL) level and socioeconomic covariates among users of Centers for Dental Specialties (CEOs) . Material and Methods: The Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) instrument was applied to 130 adult users of CEOs located in 13 municipalities in the state of Sao Paulo – Brazil, as well as socioeconomic issues. The researcher applied instruments in a specific room after randomly selecting individuals in the waiting room and invitation acceptance. Each item was ranked on a 5-point scale, ranging from 0 to 4, in which high scores indicate minimal difficulties in performing functions (high OHL) and low scores indicate very limited abilities to perform functions (low OHL). Statistical analysis using the Levene test was used to verify the possibility of using the one-way ANOVA test, and in case results show positive values (p>0.05), the Kruskal Wallis test was used. Results: The average age of participants was 45 years, with more than half being female (68.7%) with 9-11 years of schooling (48.4%). When considering the total value of HeLD-14 questions, OHL was associated with covariates schooling, marital status and family income . Conclusion: OHL levels were associated with socioeconomic variables, contributing to evidence in this field of specialized care.

Item and scale properties of the Oral Health Literacy Adults Questionnaire assessed by item response theory.

a) To evaluate the item and scale properties of the Oral Health Literacy Adults Questionnaire (OHL-AQ) in an adult general population. b) To determine precision or accuracy of the respondents' estimated scores along the Oral Health Literacy (OHL) spectrum using item response theory (IRT) modeling. Survey data were collected from a convenience sample of 405 adult attendees of the 2014 Minnesota State Fair. We used the two-parameter logistic (2PL) model for the item response theory (IRT) analyses of OHL-AQ data and calibrated items to estimate model-based item difficulty and discrimination parameters. Item and scale properties were also assessed by plotting and interpreting item characteristic curves (ICCs), test characteristic curve (TCC), and test information function (TIF). Based on interpretation of model coefficients, statistical testing, and model fit criteria, we deemed the 2PL model superior and selected this model to examine item and scale properties. Scale reliability was shown to be good through the test information function (TIF). TIF from our analysis showed that higher levels of OHL were measured less precisely than lower levels of OHL. We demonstrated OHL-AQ as a whole has promising psychometric properties. However, for equiprecise measurement across the scale range, the scale needs more items for measuring higher levels of OHL.

ORAL HEALTH LITERACY AMONG THE EMPLOYEES OF FACULTIES OF DENTISTRY AND ENGINEERING, ALEXANDRIA UNIVERSITY

Introduction: Oral health literacy which is considered as the skills required for people to obtain, process and understand basic health information needed to make appropriate oral health decisions is an important determinant of oral health. Employees of the Faculty of Dentistry spend their working hours surrounded by dental educational environment which may affect their dental awareness level. Objectives: To assess the oral health literacy level of the employees of the Faculty of Dentistry (FOD) and to compare the results with those of employees of Faculty of Engineering (FOE), Alexandria University. Materials and Methods: The sample comprised of 386 employees who were proportionally allocated into 78 FOD employees and 308 FOE employees approached in the different administrative departments of both faculties. Oral health literacy level was assessed using the Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire (OHL-AQ). Results: The mean oral health literacy score for Faculty of Dentistry employees was significantly higher than that of the Faculty of Engineering employees (11.49±3.00, 10.34±3.20, respectively). According to the regression model, females (p=0.002), older age group (p=0.01) and higher educational level (p=0.001) were the main predictors of higher OHL-AQ scores. Conclusions: Oral health literacy level of the FOD employees was higher than that of the FOE employees which points to the positive effect of the dental educational environment on OHL of FOD participants.

Literacy Level on Dental and Oral Health in Health Students (Non Dentisty)

Background: Dental and oral disease is one of the most common health problems in Indonesia with aprevalence of 57.6% and only 10.2% who receive treatment. The level of oral health literacy in healthstudents needs to be known to carry out this role based on interprofessional education (IPE) in improvingdental and oral health services to the community. Purpose: To determine the level of dental and oral healthliteracy in health students (fields other than dental health) in Surabaya. Methods: Using a research designis an observational analytic conducted on health (non-dentistry) students at universities in Surabaya. Usingthe questionnaire there were 7 questions answered on a scale of 0-4 (very not-very agree), categorizationusing a score of T. Where T&gt; 50 is a good category, and T &lt;50 is a poor category and then analyzed the datausing the Chi-square method. Results: 51.32% of non health students were categorized as having dentalhealth literacy levels. Based on the study program group, 58.2% of the students of the Faculty of Medicineand 47.54% of the students of health (non-dentistry) were categorized as good. Based on sex 44.12% malehealth students and 52.9% female health students were categorized as good. Conclusion: The level of dentaland oral health literacy in health students (non dentistry) in Surabaya as a whole does not show a significantcomparison with the level of literacy in medicine students better than health students (non dentistry).

Oral Health Literacy among Public University Undergraduate Students and Associated Factors

Introduction: Oral health literacy is an essential element of an individual to make better oral health decision. Low oral health literacy (OHL) is associated with poor oral health decision and outcome. This study aimed to determine factors associated with oral health literacy among undergraduate students in one of the public universities of Malaysia. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study which was undertaken among the undergraduate students of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). Sample selection was done randomly. A validated oral health literacy index of Malay version was used throughout the study. Ethical approval was obtained from the University Research Ethics Committee and respondents had given their consent prior to the data collection. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS software version 24.0 and the significant level was set at p&lt; 0.05. Results: The mean oral health literacy of the university undergraduate students was 77.7 (95% CI= 76.75, 78.71). Multiple linear regression indicated that female has higher OHL (β= 4.19; 95% CI= 1.99, 6.39; p&lt; 0.001), social science stream has lower OHL (β= -9.14; 95% CI= - 11.20, -7.07; p&lt; 0.001) and higher education level of father had higher OHL (β= 1.97; 95% CI= 0.10, 3.83; p= 0.039) than their counterparts. Conclusion: Oral health literacy is higher among the science streams students compared to the social sciences streams. This suggests that science education might play a significant role in health literacy and improving health outcomes.

Self-perception of oral health in the elderly associated with health literacy and related factors

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-perception of oral health in the elderly and to verify its association with oral health literacy and sociodemographic factors, through a cross-sectional study. Data collection took place in a probabilistic sample consisting of 535 elderly people over 60 years of age, who did not have cognitive problems, and were residents of the areas covered by six Family Health Units of the public health service, as well as users of a Center for Dental Specialties and dental clinics at the Faculty of Dentistry of Piracicaba (FOP), all located in the city of Piracicaba, Sao Paulo. A questionnaire with sociodemographic and health issues was applied, as well as the Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) instrument for the assessment of oral health literacy. Poisson regression was used to estimate the associations between self-perceived oral health and literacy in oral health, as well as sociodemographic and general health characteristics. The data were analyzed using the SAS statistical software. The final regression model demonstrated that the elderly who were more likely to report poor oral health self-perception were associated with a low level of oral health literacy, were of the “non-white” ethnic group, had chronic illnesses and had sought the dentist for curative reasons in the last year. It was concluded that the self-perception of oral health in the elderly is influenced by variables that go beyond the dental sector, a fact that demands multiprofessional and intersectoral actions for their care. This fact highlights the importance of integrating aspects of health literacy in health and sociodemographic factors into the process of assessing oral health in the elderly, expanding the perspective of public health assessment for actions focused only on normative needs. Key messages We show the importance of assessing the oral health of the elderly in association with health literacy, expanding the perspective of public health assessment to actions beyond the normative needs. Despite the importance of the topic, there is still a scarcity of studies on health literacy and its impact on oral health behaviors and outcomes, impacting public health.

Assessment of Parents' Oral Health Literacy and Its Association with Caries Experience of Their Preschool Children.

(1) Purpose: To assess the oral health literacy (OHL) of parents and its association with the caries experience of their preschool children attending the Hospital University Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. (2) Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study involving a systematic random sampling method, using a sample of 230 parent/preschool child dyads. Among 230 parents, 24 were males and 206 were females (mean age 31.43 ± 5.82); among 230 children, 92 were boys and 138 were girls (mean age 4.82 ± 1.04) attending the pedodontics clinic, HUSM, who participated and met the inclusion criteria. A structured, self-administered oral health literacy questionnaire including sociodemographic factors was used in this study. A child’s oral examination was performed to check the dmft (decayed, missing, filled teeth) status. Statistical analysis was done using descriptive and Spearman’s correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis. (3) Results: The mean dmft score of children in relation to the OHL level of parents showed a significant difference (p < 0.00). The mean dmft score of children in relation to the OHL level of parents showed the following relationships: Inadequate (7.49 ± 4.10) followed by marginal (3.28 ± 2.67) and then adequate (0.55 ± 1.55). The incidence of caries amongst children in relation to parental employment was more associated with unemployed parents (6.11 ± 4.43) than with employed parents (2.79 ± 3.65). The caries experience amongst children in relation to education of their parents revealed a significant difference (p < 0.001), and the mean dmft score was high amongst preschool children with primary school qualified parents (10.7 ± 4.10) followed by high school (7.04 ± 3.68), vocational (5.81 ± 3.57), diploma (2.61 ± 2.81), and university (1.29 ± 2.27), respectively. The results revealed a valid significant difference (negative correlation, rs = −0.753 **) between the OHL of parents with the dmft score of their preschool children. The age and gender of parents was not significantly associated with OHL, whereas ethnicity (positive correlation, rs = 0.283 **), education (positive correlation, rs = 0.865 **), and employment (negative correlation, rs = −0.490 **) were found to be significant. Conclusion: We conclude that there is a significant association between the OHL of parents with the dmft score of their preschool children. The logistic regression showed that after adjustment for sociodemographic factors, parents’ gender (OR = 0.067, 95% CI: 0.012–0.360), parents’ employment status (OR = 3.247, 95% CI: 0.897–11.754), parents’ OHL score (OR = 0.042, 95% CI: 0.016–0.114), and child age (OR = 2.195, 95% CI: 1.249–3.857) were significantly associated with dental caries in children. Our study concluded that parents’ employment status, age, gender, OHL, and child’s age were significantly associated with the caries experience of their preschool children.

Measuring Oral Health Literacy for Nurses and Dental Assistants

Objectives: to measure and compare level of oral health literacy (OHL), dental knowledge (DK) for dental assistants (DA) and nurses (MN) working at the King Abdulaziz University Medical and Dental Hospitals (KAUH and UDH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods: This study was conducted using a convenient sample. Participants were asked to fill-out a questionnaire about demographic data, oral health behavior, and dental services usage and to complete a previously validated DK test and Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHLI). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Bivariate non-parametric tests followed by logistic regression were used to analyze the data (α=0.05). Results: Forty-eight MN and 58 DA participated in this study with a mean age of 35 8.7 years. The majority of the participants were female (81%), non-Saudi (77%), and had college/university education or higher (90%). The mean OHLI and DK test scores for the DA were significantly higher than MN (p<0.001). DK test score was the only statistically significant predictor for the OHLI level at the multivariate level, as it whipped the association of the participants’ group (DA/MN), after controlling for the demographic variables. Conclusion: This study sheds the light on the DK and OHL inadequacy among some of the MN at KAUH. More effort should be directed towards educating medical personnel about oral health by incorporating oral health-related materials in their curriculum and continuing education courses.

Oral health literacy, sociodemographic, family, and clinical predictors of dental visits among Brazilian early adolescents

The prevalence of dental caries is high in adolescents worldwide, and a large percentage have never been to a dentist or have not had regular dental appointments. To evaluate the influence of oral health literacy and sociodemographic, clinical, and family factors on dental visits among early adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 740 12-year-old students in Campina Grande, Brazil. Students answered about their level of oral health literacy (BREALD-30), levels of family adaptability and cohesion (FACES III), and visits to the dentist sometime in life. Dental caries experience was evaluated using Nyvad criteria. Robust Poisson regression for complex samples was performed. A higher level of oral health literacy (PR=1.01; 95% CI: 1.01-1.03), high social class (PR=1.28; 95% CI: 1.09-1.50), higher mother's schooling (PR=1.58; 95% CI: 1.37-1.83), family cohesion classified as enmeshed (PR=1.55; 95% CI: 1.19-2.02) and connected (PR=1.22; 95% CI: 1.02-1.44), and the absence of toothache (PR=1.18; 95% CI: 1.01-1.38) remained associated with having visited a dentist. Oral health literacy and sociodemographic, family, and clinical factors were predictors of having visited a dentist among early adolescents.

Oral health literacy, self-rated oral health, and oral health-related quality of life in Brazilian adults.

The aim of this study was to investigate associations between oral health literacy (OHL), self-rated oral health (SROH), and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in Brazilian adults. A sample of 523 Brazilian adults completed the short-form Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) instruments that measure OHL and OHRQoL, respectively. The prevalence ratios (PRs) for outcome variables and their 95% CIs were quantified. Multivariable log-binomial regression models were applied, as the statistical models, to estimate bivariate and multivariable relationships of oral health outcomes with OHL, after adjusting for covariates. No significant association was found between poor SROH (as measured by single items) and OHL (PR=1.28; 95% CI: 0.87-1.88); by contrast, significant associations were found between poor SROH and income (PR=1.52; 95% CI: 1.04-2.21), toothbrushing frequency (PR=1.69; 95% CI: 1.11-2.58), reason for dental visiting (PR=1.48; 95% CI: 1.03-2.13), and self-rated general health (PR=3.44; 95% CI: 2.38-4.97). The OHL level (PR=1.76; 95% CI: 1.21-2.56), educational level (PR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.41-0.93), reason for dental visiting (PR=1.84; 95% CI: 1.30-2.61), and self-rated general health (PR=1.51; 95% CI: 1.03-2.23) were associated with poor OHRQoL.

Photographic Description of Mother’s Dental Anxiety based on Oral Health Literacy Level in Surabaya, Indonesia

Background: Mothers, the main influencers of their children’s development, are thought to be one cause ofhigh anxiety in children. Basic Health Research or Riskesdas 2018 stated that 93 percent of early childhood,in the age range of 5-6 years, have cavities. Mother’s dental anxiety may effects their childrens oral healthand hygiene and worsened by lower oral health literacy.Aims: To analyze the relationship of dental health literacy level to maternal dental anxiety in the photographicdescription.Method and Material: This is a observational analytic research method using a cross-sectional approach,consist by 100 participant mothers of children who visited dental clinic with research criteria, living in thecity of Surabaya. Instruments used are MDAS & HELD-IM questionnaire and confirmed by photographicdescription on mother anxietal face.Results: There is a significant relationship between the variable level of oral health literacy with the variablematernal dental anxiety with a significance value of 0,000 and a correlation coefficient of 0.704. Motherwith lesser oral health literacy, have higher level of dental anxiety and confirmed as that by photographicdescription.Conclusions: In this study, it is found that lesser oral health literacy state plays a role as a risk factorin arising dental anxiety in mother perspective. Dental anxiety of mother recorded (photographed) as ifemoticon used in MDAS indicators as it is.

Socioeconomic status and family functioning influence oral health literacy among adolescents.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVEEvaluate socio-demographic, family and behavioral factors associated with oral health literacy (OHL) in adolescents.METHODSCross-sectional study conducted with adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in Campina Grande, Brazil. Parents/guardians answered a questionnaire addressing socio-demographic data. The adolescents answered validated instruments on family cohesion and adaptability (family adaptability and cohesion evaluation scale), drug use (alcohol, smoking and substance involvement screening test), type of dental service used for last appointment and OHL (Brazilian version of the Rapid Estimate of Oral Health Literacy in Dentistry). Two dentists were trained to evaluate OHL (K = 0.87–0.88). Descriptive analysis was performed, followed by Poisson regression analysis (α = 5%). A directed acyclic graph was used to select independent variables in the study.RESULTSThe following variables remained associated with better OHL: high mother’s schooling level (RR = 1.07; 95%CI: 1.03–1.12), high income (RR = 1.04; 95%CI: 1.01–1.09), white ethnicity/skin color (RR = 1.05; 95%CI: 1.01–1.10), married parents (RR = 1.04; 95%CI: 1.01–1.09), “enmeshed” family cohesion (RR = 1.21; 95%CI: 1.12–1.30), “structured” (RR = 1.06; 95%CI: 1.01–1.12) or “rigid” (RR = 1.11; 95%CI: 1.04–1.19) family adaptability, having more than five residents in the home (RR = 1.07; 95%CI: 1.01–1.14) and having used a private dental service during the last appointment (RR = 1.08; 95%CI: 1.03–1.13).CONCLUSIONFamily functioning and socio-demographic factors influence the level of oral health literacy among adolescents.

The impact of oral health literacy and family cohesion on dental caries in early adolescence.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the prevalence of cavitated dental caries and oral health literacy (OHL), family characteristics and sociodemographic factors in early adolescence. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 740 twelve-year-old students. The students' guardians provided information on sociodemographic data, and the students provided information on family characteristics and OHL. Two trained dentists examined the participants for dental caries and administered the Brazilian version of the Rapid Estimate of Oral Health Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD-30). Control variables were selected using a directed acyclic graph. Descriptive analysis was performed; this was followed by robust Poisson regression analysis for complex samples to evaluate the association between dental caries and socioeconomic and family predictors (α=5%). The following variables were associated with a greater number of cavitated caries lesions: low level of education completed by the mother (RR=1.58; 95% CI: 1.12-2.24), less privileged social class (RR=1.89; 95% CI: 1.28-2.80), non-White ethnicity (RR=1.64; 95% CI: 1.0-2.48), larger number of residents in the home (RR=1.87; 95% CI: 1.25-2.81), low level of OHL (RR=2.02; 95% CI: 1.28-3.18), and the 'connected' (RR=4.72; 95% CI: 1.17-18.90), 'separated' (RR=4.09; 95% CI: 1.05-15.86) and 'disengaged' (RR=4.20; 95% CI: 1.09-16.18) types of family cohesion. A low level of oral health literacy, sociodemographic factors, and a low level of family cohesion are predictors of cavitated caries lesions in early adolescence.

The role of communication and oral health literacy in prevention and promotion of oral health

&#x0D; Dental care prevention involves prophylactic oral health practices and strategies that are primarily targeted to diseases of the oral tissues with the focus on prevention of certain conditions. Not enough attention has been given to the communication between the dentist and the patient as well as the ability or the inability to understand patient's health information. The aim of this paper is to present the current practices and regulations related to the effective communication between oral healthcare professionals and patient population, and their representation and influence in improving and raising the profile of the oral health on a national level. Materials and method:A systematic literature search was conducted including published scientific articles between 1977 and 2018. Studies discussing the improvement of oral health in the function of general health and well-being in the patient population of all ages were analyzed. The main focus was put on the commitment of the oral health community in the global agenda and the importance of integrating multifactorial approaches to prevention. Particular attention was paid to the representation of the skills for effective communication between health care professionals and patient population, and the medical education (health education), which should result in the individual's health literacy. Results: During the global struggle to improve the oral health, efforts are being made to enhance current practices and share knowledge about preventive care and treatment in oral health science and education in order to ensure the general health and well-being of the patient population of all ages. Unfortunately, the commitment to take action in raising effective communication and oral health literacy is minimal. Conclusion: Improving the communication between the oral health care professionals and the patient population in the direction of an interactive, dynamic and flexible process, as well as raising the level of oral health literacy among the population through targeted and carefully developed medical education should be the first step in any preventive program for raising the level of oral health.

Oral health literacy: A practical strategy towards better oral health status among adult population of Ghaziabad district.

Background and Aims:Despite tremendous considerable effort by health professionals to promote oral health to create beautiful smiles, gap between oral health knowledge and practice undoubtedly still remains. Thus the aim of this study was to assess the Oral health literacy level and its impact on socioeconomic and oral health status among adult population in Ghaziabad district.Methods:A total of 600 study subjects aged 18-64 years from all 4 blocks of Ghaziabad visiting various outreach programmes using a multistage random sampling technique were included in the study. A specially designed questionnaire assessed the demographic variables. Oral health literacy level (OHL) was assessed with help of a bilingually adapted Hindi OHL tool. Clinical examination was recorded using WHO (World Health Organization) Oral Health Assessment Form 2013.Results:The mean age of the study subjects was 43.9 ± 14.36 years. Majority 300 (50%) study subjects had inadequate oral health literacy level followed by Marginal oral health literacy level which was seen among 180 (30%) subjects and 120 (20%) subjects had adequate oral health literacy level. Oral health literacy level was slightly higher among females as compared to male subjects although the results were not statistically significant. A statistically significant difference was found between oral health literacy and oral health status as well as socioeconomic status. (P value ≤ 0.05).Conclusion:A significant association between OHL and oral health status was found stating Oral health literacy as an efficient role in influencing oral health outcome of any individual.

Do Parents’ Oral Health Literacy Levels Influence Their Response to Interventions to Improve Their Knowledge of Traumatic Dental Injuries?

Objective: To measure the influence of oral health literacy (OHL) level in the improvement of knowledge about traumatic dental injuries (TDI) after an educational intervention. Material and Methods: A total of 257 parents of children aged 0–12 years had their OHL level evaluated (BREALD-30). A leaflet with information about how to respond to TDI Emergency was developed and delivered to the parents. A questionnaire about attitudes towards TDI was administered before (TDIQ1) and after (TDIQ2) parents read the educational leaflet. The hypotheses were evaluated by non-parametric tests, correlation analysis and logistic regression . Results: The mean OHL score was 21.6. The means of correct answers in TDIQ1 were 5.5 and 5.9 (p = 0.066) and in TDIQ2 were 6.6 and 7.7 (p=0.003) between the groups with inadequate and marginal/adequate OHL, respectively. In the logistic regression, the total score of BREALD-30 and the maximum number of correct answers in TDIQ2 maintained statistical association when adjusted for schooling, gender, age of the parents, family income and the number of correct answers in the first application of the questionnaire . Conclusion: The level of OHL influenced the improvement of parents’ knowledge about emergency care in cases of TDI in children from an educational intervention using a leaflet, and this intervention was more effective for parents with adequate OHL.

Oral Health Literacy among School Students in Jodhpur City, Rajasthan, India

Background: In India, only 25% community health centers have dentists available, but these in­­fra­structures do not carry adequate instru­ments and other dental materials. This study aimed to examine the level of oral health know­ledge, attitudes and practice behaviors among school stu­dents. Subjects and Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Jodhpur City, Ra­jasthan, India. A total of 684 students of grade 9 th & 10 th from a private school were selected for this study. The data were collected by semi-structured ques­tion­naire. The data were analyzed using a logistic regression. Results: 297 (43.42%) participants reported wrong number (32 teeth) of teeth during teenage. 620 (90.64%) participants answered ‘Yes’ that sweet food items, soft drinks and chewing gums are responsible for tooth decay. 377 (55%) students agreed that fluoridated toothpaste helps in prevention of tooth decay. The correct tech­nique of tooth brushing reported by 325 (48%) participants is circular direction and up-down vertical direction by 223 (33%) of them. 621 (90%) said that ‘bleeding gums is the primary sign of bad oral health’. Dentist is the major source of information of 462 (68%) participants. 58 (8.5%) of them used other cleaning aids such as tongue cleaners, chewing gums, 120 (17.5%) did not use any cleaning aid. The regression analysis showed significant association between gender and regular dental visits (p=0.021), once and twice brushing habits daily, (p=0.015, p= 0.020) respectively. Conclusion: Oral health literacy levels among students were good to fair. Keywords: oral health behavior, health pro­mo­tion, oral health literacy Correspondence: Dr. Anahita Ali. Jodhpur School of Public Health, Mau­lana Azad University, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Jodh­pur, Rajasthan, India- 342008. Email: ana­hi­taali1@gmail.com Mobile: +917023830675. Journal of Health Promotion and Behavior (2020): 114-123 https://doi.org/10.26911/thejhpb.2020.05.02.06