Oral Health Literacy and Outcomes in Rural Wisconsin Adults

Abstract

Purpose Low oral health literacy (OHL) is an emerging risk factor for several oral health outcomes, but there are very few studies of OHL overall and no studies of OHL in the rural United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between OHL and sociodemographic factors, as well as several oral health outcomes, in rural adults served by an integrated medical and dental care system in Wisconsin. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was administered to a stratified random sample of patients from 2 rural communities. Survey data were linked to local electronic health records. Multivariable regression was used to identify sociodemographic determinants of low OHL, as well as associations between OHL and: oral hygiene, oral health quality of life, dentist visits, and emergency/urgent care visits for nontraumatic dental conditions. Findings Among the 164 respondents, OHL scores were generally high but were significantly lower among nonwhite participants (P < .001), as well as those without a college degree (P < .001) and those with an annual household income under $40,000 (P = .029). Lower OHL scores were significantly associated with lower quality of life scores (P = .005), fewer visits to the dentist (P = .007), and more emergency room visits for nontraumatic dental conditions (P = .021). Conclusion In rural Wisconsin, low OHL tracked closely with markers of socioeconomic status and appeared most influential in the context of appropriate dental care utilization. Future research should consider longitudinal explorations of how OHL influences preventive and emergency dental visits over time.

Health Literacy Associations with Periodontal Disease among Slovak Adults

“…Association of lower health literacy with a higher chance of suffering from gingivitis or ill oral health is in accordance with many studies reporting similar associations of patients with low health literacy and their low general health status or having other health issues compared to patients with higher health literacy [14][15][16]. Our results are also consistent with studies on oral health issues and health literacy, even though these types of studies are scarce [17][18][19].…”

“…In health research, it was found that poor health literacy is associated with a wide range of health-related results, including poorer health, poorer use of preventive health care, higher mortality and more hospitalizations [14][15][16]. Although research of oral health and health literacy is not sufficient, there are few studies showing positive association of higher HL with better periodontal health [17], and associations of lower HL with untreated caries, less frequent tooth brushing and irregular flossing [18], fewer visits to the dentist and more frequent emergency room visits for nontraumatic dental conditions [19].…”

Association between oral health literacy and dental outcomes among users of primary healthcare services

“…A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that income, education, and self-rated oral health are important predictors of OHL across different populations. [29][30][31] The associations between tooth loss, education, and self-rated oral health have also been largely documented in the literature. [32][33][34][35] Similar to our findings, previous studies indicate that income and self-rated oral health are important predictors of dental service utilization.…”

Rural‐Urban Differences in Dental Service Utilization and Dental Service Procedures Received Among US Adults: Results From the 2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

“…The results showed that adults in the more rural areas in the United States were 65% less likely to have received a preventive dental procedure than their urban counterparts. In addition to the shortage of dental professionals, 3 other factors that could account for these results include rural residents not prioritizing oral health as a result of other needs taking precedence such as food security among those with lower SES, 26 as well as limited health literacy, 27 or negative attitudes and perceived lack of need 27 . A need for transportation could be another barrier 28 .…”