Oral Health Literacy and Oral Health Behavior among Adolescents in Babol 2019

Abstract

Background: The process of obtaining oral health information, evaluating its concepts and using appropriate prevention and treatment processes in the field of Oral health literacy (OHL) is within the scope of health literacy and is the link between culture and society, health system, education system, and oral health consequences. The purpose of the current study was to investigate OHL in first-grade high school students in Babol.
 Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study on 383 high school students in Babol 2019 using the multi-stage cluster sampling method in the first stage of school selection and in the second stage of class selection. The data were collected using demographic, oral health behaviors assessment, and Oral Health Literacy Questionnaire. OHL questionnaire has 17 questions in four sections of reading comprehension, numeracy, listening, and decision making. Regression analysis, ANOVA, T-test, and chi-square test were used for data analysis (SPSS 23).
 Findings: The mean score of students' OHL was 8.33 ± 2.004, and 11.7%, 26.1%, and 61.9% of the students were with adequate, borderline, and inadequate levels of OHL, respectively. According to the analysis, OHL had a significant relationship with income, father’s education, tooth brushing, and use of beverage foods.
 Conclusion: The results showed that OHL was insufficient among students, and more efforts and interventions were required to improve oral health and increase oral health literacy among student.

Can a Mother's Parenting Style Predict Adolescent Oral Hygiene Behavior? A Self-Reported Cross-Sectional Study

“…5 Patterns of behavior during early adolescence play an essential role in maintaining oral hygiene because poor oral hygiene behavior will tend to continue into adulthood. [6][7][8] In adolescence, peer relationship is critical in everyday life, so they need to spend much time with friends. 9 The increased risk of oral health problems in adolescence can be caused by environmental influences such as peer association patterns in trying new things that can affect oral health, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.…”

“…10 Furthermore, the freedom to consume sugary foods and disregarding parental rules, may lead to neglecting oral hygiene habits like brushing teeth as a priority. 6,11,12 Thus, good behavior regarding oral hygiene should be formed as early as possible and starting in the family environment, especially among parents. 5,7 The role of parents, especially mothers, is vital for guiding, providing understanding, and providing facilities for maintaining children's oral health at home.…”

Impact of oral health literacy and psychoactive substances on tooth loss in adolescents

“…OHL regards the capacity to identify, process, and interpret health information in order to make adequate oral health choices (Bröder et al, 2017; Baskaradoss, 2018). Studies report that high OHL contributes to better oral health habits and behaviors (Chaleshgar‐Kordasiabi et al, 2021; Ueno et al, 2013). Till date, however, no studies have assessed its association with tooth loss in adolescents.…”