Measurement of Oral Health Literacy Level Among Bangladeshi Adults Seeking Dental Care and Its Relationship With Socio-demographic Characteristics

Abstract

Background: The important role of socio-economical factors in oral health and disease has been identified. Oral health literacy is associated with inaccurate knowledge about preventive measures such as proper brushing, dental care visits and oral health-related quality of life. Like general health literacy, oral health literacy incorporates the capacity a person has to learn and use information about oral health in making decisions about their oral health. Objective: This analytic type of cross sectional study was conducted to measure the Oral Health literacy Level (OHLL) and its relationship with socio-demographic characteristics among Bangladeshi adults seeking dental care.Materials and Methods: A total 100 subjects attended at the out patient's Dental Department of Ibrahim General Hospital-Mirpur for routine dental checkup over a period of six months from August 2014 to January 2015 fulfilled the eligibility criteria were selected consecutively. Pre-tested semi structured interviewer administrated questionnaires were used to collect the information. Cross tabulations and associations were determined by using the Chi-square test where applicable.Results: The mean oral health literacy score was 15.51 out of 30 and SD ±4.806 with 7% of respondents had very poor OHLL, 49% had poor OHLL, 41% had fair and 3% had excellent oral health literacy level. Oral health literacy level found more in age group of 30-39 years. The majority of excellent oral health literacy level was from graduate and above group. In addition, patients' sex, marital status and occupation were significantly associated with oral health literacy level as the P-values were 0.008, 0.002 and 0.021 respectively.Conclusion: Patients with inadequate oral health literacy were consistently more likely to report poor oral health than patients with adequate literacy skills. Future studies are needed to determine whether this framework is supported by empirical data and leads to improvements in oral health and reductions in health disparities.Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Journal Vol. 7, No. 1: Jan 2016, P 34-39

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

“…This study’s findings about the OHL of parents—inadequate level 43.9%, marginal level 24.8%, and adequate level 31.3%—are in agreement with a study conducted among the Brazilian population by Firmino et al [ 30 ], where the OHL level of the participants was found to be inadequate (37%), and also among the Iranian population, where more than half of the participants had an inadequate and marginal (55.7%) OHL level [ 31 ]. Furthermore, in agreement with our study, the OHL level of participants was found to be inadequate or poor (49%) among the Bangladeshi population [ 32 ] and among the Indian population, where 35% of participants had an inadequate OHL level [ 33 ]. An inadequate level of OHL has been found in various studies and is consistent, possibly because of low education levels, people living in rural areas, ethnic minorities, and low socioeconomic status among the studied populations [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”

“…Furthermore, in agreement with our study, the OHL level of participants was found to be inadequate or poor (49%) among the Bangladeshi population [ 32 ] and among the Indian population, where 35% of participants had an inadequate OHL level [ 33 ]. An inadequate level of OHL has been found in various studies and is consistent, possibly because of low education levels, people living in rural areas, ethnic minorities, and low socioeconomic status among the studied populations [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Our study results revealed a higher inadequate level of OHL among parents with primary school qualifications and among unemployed parents, which shows that education and employment are important factors for good OHL levels.…”

Consumer side economic perception of telemedicine during COVID-19 era: A survey on Bangladesh's perspective

“…Only about 40% of respondents agree that utilization of telemedicine has increased in their daily internet usage, and only about one-third of the respondents have used the internet for aid regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. These low numbers are due to a combination of issues: poor knowledge about the systems of telemedicine, habitual biases towards face-to-face healthcare [ 58 ], poor ICT culture among health professionals [ 59 ], lack of trained health staff, low health literacy [ 60 ], and also a lack of a robust digital security law imposed on telemedicine systems of Bangladesh to protect the data of users. Combining these three statistic ideas presented can help health analysts figure out ways to increase these numbers for a better future in healthcare and its related economics.…”

Telemedicine is an important aspect of healthcare services amid COVID‐19 outbreak: Its barriers in Bangladesh and strategies to overcome

“…34 Appropriate data about health literacy are not available; however, a study conducted in 2017 found that 7% of respondents had very poor, 49% had poor and 41% had fair oral health literacy level. 35 Limited health and digital health literacy are well described as barriers to getting optimal clinical service.…”