Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Oral Health Literacy Assessment Task: Pathways between parental oral health literacy and oral health consequences in children

Abstract

Background: Parental oral health literacy (OHL) is a determinant of oral health behavior and oral health status of children. Aim:To delineate the pathways between parental OHL and oral health consequences in children and to validate the Turkish version of the Oral Health Literacy Assessment Task (TOHLAT-P). Design:This cross-sectional study was conducted with 315 parent-child dyads.The TOHLAT-P was psychometrically evaluated. Item analysis was performed to determine the reliability of the TOHLAT-P. Construct validity was tested by comparing a commonly used instrument using Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients. A path model was developed to evaluate associations between parental OHL and oral health consequences in children. The model consisted of five endogenous variables (parental oral health behaviors, children's oral health behaviors, children's dental anxiety, dental caries, and oral health-related quality of life [OHRQoL]) and one exogenous variable (parental OHL). A path analysis was used to test the compatibility of the conceptual model, with a statistical significance of p < .001. Results: There was a statistically significant association between parental oral health behaviors and children's oral health behaviors, and between dental caries and OHRQoL. The variable most directly affected by parental OHL was parental oral health behaviors, whereas the variable most indirectly affected by parental OHL was children's oral health behaviors. Conclusions:The path analysis revealed significant associations between parental and children's oral health behaviors, and between dental caries and OHRQoL.Understanding these pathways is necessary to establish strategies to improve children's oral health. The TOHLAT-P will be useful for future assessments of Turkish children. K E Y W O R D S children, oral health, oral health literacy, oral health-related quality of life How to cite this article: Buldur B, Oguz E. Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Oral Health Literacy Assessment Task: Pathways between parental oral health literacy and oral health consequences in children.

The relationship between dental anxiety and oral health literacy with oral health-related quality of life

“…Participants' total correct answers range from 0 to 17. OHL scores are categorized into three groups: insufficient (scores 0-9), borderline (scores 10-11), and sufficient [12][13][14][15][16][17]. The Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults delineates scores into inadequate (0-53), borderline (54-66), and sufficient (67-100) categories [17].…”

“…Over a decade, oral health literacy (OHL) has gathered significant interest from healthcare professionals and policymakers due to its considerable effect on oral health outcomes [ 12 , 13 ]. Considered a multifaceted concept, OHL has consistently been examined in dental research [ 13 , 14 ] and is indicated as a potential determinant of oral health behaviors, outcomes, and access to dental services [ 14 ].…”

The Impact of Child Dental Caries and the Associated Factors on Child and Family Quality of Life

“…Child oral health status among families with higher literacy and economic conditions has been described as satisfactorily [ 20 , 21 ]. In addition the significant relationship was found between parental, and child oral health behaviors, and also between dental caries and OHRQoL [ 22 , 23 ]. In hence, oral health literacy, attitude, and oral health behaviors of parents were considered as the important factors on child oral health [ 22 , 23 ].…”

“…In these studies, tooth decay has been found to be a significant predictor of poor QoL of the child and the family. In addition, the relationship between parental and child health behaviors has also been measured [ 23 ]. The impact of oral health of preschool children and some related factors on QoL of child were also measured in Shiraz city of Iran [ 24 ].…”

“…At the global level, numerous studies on the impact of dental caries on child and family QoL have been conducted [3,[14][15][16][17]23]. In these studies, tooth decay has been found to be a significant predictor of poor QoL of the child and the family.…”