Oral Health Literacy and Measures of Periodontal Disease

Abstract

Background Existing evidence demonstrating a relationship between health literacy (HL) and periodontal health is insufficient to identify how providers can help patients manage periodontal disease. This study assesses associations between HL measures (word recognition, numeracy, and conceptual knowledge) and signs of periodontal disease. Methods This study included 325 new patients at a dental school clinic and employed an oral HL (OHL) survey, full-mouth radiographs, and clinical examination. Evaluations included the relationship between each HL measure versus number of teeth, bleeding score, plaque score, and periodontal severity with linear and ordinal logistic regression models before and after adjusting for covariates. Results Among HL measures, the Newest Vital Sign demonstrated a significant relationship with number of teeth and the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults showed a significant association with plaque score. The short Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALMD-20) showed participants who performed in the highest quartile had nearly two additional teeth, over 5.5% fewer bleeding sites, and nearly 9% fewer teeth with plaque after adjustment for demographic variables, smoking, and diabetes mellitus (DM). Participants who scored in the highest quartile of the Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge (CMOHK) had nearly 9% less plaque. Conclusions Two OHL instruments (REAMLD-20 and CMOHK) provided statistical associations with clinical measures of periodontal health at a level that could be considered of moderate clinical relevancy. Findings suggest dentists may wish to assess familiarity of their patients with dental terminology and knowledge of periodontal disease to provide education on oral hygiene, smoking, and DM.

Oral Health Literacy and Outcomes in Rural Wisconsin Adults

“…16 Low OHL is associated with lower levels of dental knowledge and dental information-seeking skills. 8,9 Some prior studies have also shown that low OHL in adults is associated with clinical facets of poor oral health, including fewer teeth and more bleeding sites, 17 as well as a lower frequency of tooth brushing. 18 Associations between OHL and dental care utilization are mixed, however, as 1 study found that low OHL was not associated with recent dental visits, 19 while another found patients with low OHL were more likely to miss their next scheduled dental appointment.…”

Psychometric properties of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief‐IPQ) in periodontal diseases

“…Health literacy is a strong predictor of individuals' health, health behaviours and health outcomes. Lack of patient oral health literacy can be a hidden barrier to health care, being associated with lack of preventive behaviours, delayed diagnoses, more invasive treatments, poor adherence to treatment and medical instructions, and consequently poor health outcomes (Baskaradoss, ; Berkman, Davis, & McCormack, ; Berkman, Sheridan, Donahue, Halpern, & Crotty, ; Holtzman, Atchison, Macek, & Markovic, ). Especially in patients with chronic illnesses such as periodontitis, despite the periodontal treatment crucialness, it is essential to find ways to reduce the effects of low health literacy, in order to enhance a proactive and effective involvement of daily self‐care.…”

“…Health literacy is a strong predictor of individuals' health, health behaviours and health outcomes. Lack of patient oral health literacy can be a hidden barrier to health care, being associated with lack of preventive behaviours, delayed diagnoses, more invasive treatments, poor adherence to treatment and medical instructions, and consequently poor health outcomes (Baskaradoss, 2018;Berkman, Davis, & McCormack, 2010;Berkman, Sheridan, Donahue, Halpern, & Crotty, 2011;Holtzman, Atchison, Macek, & Markovic, 2016).…”

Regular dental attendance and periodontal health knowledge: A cross‐sectional survey

“…Oral health literacy—knowledge on the causes of oral diseases, ability to apply this understanding and to incorporate self‐care behaviours, and also to navigate the healthcare system when needed (Holtzman et al, )—is a research priority (National institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research, National Institute of Health, U.S. Public Health Service, Department of Health Human Services, ), and it is linked to periodontal attachment levels (Wehmeyer, Corwin, Guthmiller, & Lee, ). Sound teaching practices implemented in the dental chair should have an effect on patient oral self‐care practices and treatment compliance (Hughes et al, ).…”

“…A number of public health interventions on the general public have been undertaken in different countries to tackle this problem with positive results (Gholami, Pakdaman, Montazeri, & Virtanen, 2017;Martensson, Söderfeldt, Halling, & Renvert, 2004) although limited in time. Major issues with these campaigns are the important economic effort required and the limited information gained by the less educated strata of the population (Gholami et al, 2017), who actually need it most (Holtzman, Atchison, Macek, & Markovic, 2017;Volandes & Paasche-Orlow, 2007).…”