Investigation of Oral Health Literacy Utilizing Oral Health Literacy-Adult Questionnaire and its Relationship with Clinical Indicators of Oral Health, as well as Oral Health Behaviors, among Dental Patients

Oral health literacy (OHL) is considered a new determinant of health. This study aimed to investigate OHL and its relationship with clinical indicators of oral health, as well as oral health behaviors, among patients attending the Dental School of the Islamic Azad University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

The authors conducted a cross-sectional study on volunteering patients attending dental school for the first time in 2015, who were selected through convenience sampling. Self-administered questionnaires requested information about patients’ OHL using Oral Health Literacy-Adult Questionnaire, as well as patients’ oral health behaviors. Clinical examinations were conducted to measure Decayed, Missing due to caries, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) and Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Pearson correlation coefficient, Spearman correlation coefficient, independent t-test, as well as linear and logistic regression models, served for statistical analysis (P-value<0.05).

Among 202 participants, 64.5% were women. The mean age of participants was 33.4±10.6 years, and the mean score of OHL was 52.3±19.8. Individuals with a higher score of OHL reported better oral health behaviors (P-value<0.05). The OHL was negatively associated with DMFT (r=-0.140, P-value=0.047), Decayed Teeth (r=-0.179, P-value=0.01) and Missing Teeth (r=-0.208, P-value=0.003). On the other hand, individuals with higher OHL scores had more filled teeth (r=0.148, P-value=0.04). No association was revealed between OHL and maximum CPI (P-value>0.05).

Oral health literacy of patients attending dental school was moderate. Those patients with a higher OHL reported better oral health behaviors and had a lower history of dental caries. Therefore, it is essential to increase the OHL of individuals to improve their oral health status.