The impact of oral health literacy on dental anxiety and utilization of oral health services among dental patients: a cross sectional study

Abstract

Background Low oral health literacy levels and deficient oral health knowledge jeopardize the communication between dentists and patients in different communities. This study aimed to examine the impact and association of oral health literacy with patients’ levels of dental anxiety and their utilization of dental health services. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Misr International University (MIU) dental clinics. The study utilized a structured, interview led questionnaire that was administered by second year dental students, over the period of two successive academic years 2018–2019 and 2019–2020. A total of 440 student interviewed a convenience sample of 440 dental patients: including 269 females (61.1%) and 171 males (38.9%). The questionnaire consisted of four sections; a demographic section, a modified Arabic Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy (ARELAD-30) Tool that measures the ability of the participants to read 30 commonly used dental terms. This questionnaire was modified by the authors to measure the participants’ knowledge by asking them to choose the most accurate meaning for each word based on their previous knowledge. Scoring was dependent on the participant’s immediate correct pronunciation, as well as comprehension of each word. The Arabic Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (AMDAS) was used to measure the level of dental anxiety, and the dental health service utilization was measured using the Utilization of oral health services questionnaire. Results One quarter (24.1%) of the participants read the 30 items of the A-REALD correctly. The average percentage of correct responses to the meaning of the dental terms was 71.2%. There was no statistically significant association between A-REALD and knowledge scores (Spearman’s Correlation coefficient ρ = -0.008, p-value = 0.872). There was a statistically significant inverse correlation between age and MDAS (Correlation coefficient ρ = -0.146, p-value = 0.002). A-REALD scores were inversely correlated with time since last visit (Regression coefficient = -0.027, p-value = 0.036, with 95% CI: -0.052 – -0.002). Conclusion Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that oral health literacy is significantly associated to dental health services utilization, while, dental anxiety is related to other variables, such as age and gender.

Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs of School Teachers in Kathmandu District

“…6 In the present study, there were more female 125 [6][7][8][9] Since many private schools prefer female teachers there is a difference in the distribution of male and female teachers. The oral health status and treatment needs of a sample of school teachers of the Kathmandu district were assessed and it was found that the prevalence of dental caries was 98 (59.4%) which is in accordance with the findings of Mary et al 6 but in contrast to the study done by Sunitha et al 10 Although studies 11,12 have shown that teachers have good knowledge about aetiology of dental caries, the prevalence is still high. This may be because they are not motivated enough to follow better oral hygiene practices.…”

Validation of an Arabic version of the short form of the health literacy in dentistry scale: a cross-sectional study

“…The internal consistency measured through Cronbach's alpha is high and quite similar to the value found in the original validation study for the HeLD-14 [14] and in studies assessing the validity and reliability of the Brazilian and Chinese versions of the HeLD-14 [16,17]. Moreover, the value is higher than the one found in the other study using an Arabic version of HeLD-14, which obtained a Cronbach's alpha of 0.76 [20].…”

“…The investigators aimed to assess the OHL among schoolteachers. However, the study did not present much information on the validity and reliability of the instrument [20]. A valid and reliable version of an Arabic version of the HeLD-14 is thus needed and relevant to introduce.…”

“…The HeLD-14 has been culturally adapted and tested in different languages and cultures including Brazilian [16], Chinese [17], Malay [18], and Persian versions [19]. A newly published study in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has developed an Arabic version of the HeLD-14 [20]. The investigators aimed to assess the OHL among schoolteachers.…”

Oral Health Literacy Rate Among Schoolteachers—A Quantitative Study

“…11,12 There is significantly high burden of oral diseases that are preventable and OHL has been associated with reduced incidence of oral diseases. 13,14 Moreover, primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategy implementation to population may not help to improve oral health until and unless people get individual attention toward improvement. 15,16 Hence, OHL is a crucial factor in promoting and maintaining good oral health.…”