Assessment of adult oral health literacy among patients visiting Government dental college, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Background: The major role of oral health literacy (OHL) lies in the utilization of health services as low literacy leads to reduced participation and engagement in preventive health programs. Aim: This study aimed to assess the adult OHL among patients visiting the Tertiary care institute in north India. Materials and Methods: The source of data for this descriptive qualitative study was patient visiting the outpatient department. Data collection procedure included information obtained from the subject recorded on a structured pro forma using OHL-Adults Questionnaire. Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test with post hoc Bonferroni test, and Spearman's rho correlation were applied. Multiple logistic regressions were used and the dependent variable (OHL) was regressed for predicted independent variables. Parameter estimate of inadequate and marginal OHL for various predictor variables was regressed considering the adequate OHL as standard reference. Results: The inadequate literacy score was statistically significant for age, educational qualification, and number of times of visit to dentist in lifetime in the final regression model. The marginal score was significant for age, educational qualification, and frequency of visit to dentist in the final regression model. Conclusion: Total dental visit in lifetime is an important indicator for better OHL in this study. Orientation of oral health promotion programs requires due importance for both the marginal and inadequate OHL.