J Korean Acad Oral Health.  2014 Dec;38(4):220-226. 10.11149/jkaoh.2014.38.4.220.

Impact of oral health literacy on oral health-related quality of life among adults

• Ju HJ
• Oh HW
• Lee HS

• KMID: 2321463
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11149/jkaoh.2014.38.4.220

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of oral health literacy on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).
METHODS
Self-administered questionnaires were handed out to 760 adults above the age of 18 selected through convenience sampling. Among them, those above 60 years of age were also interviewed face-to-face. The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD-99) and the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Dentistry (TOFHLiD) were used to measure verbal and functional oral health literacy respectively. OHRQoL was measured using the oral health impact profile-14 (OHIP-14), a simplified version of the oral health impact profile (OHIP). The sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, education level, and income) were also recorded. Higher scores on oral health literacy represented higher levels of literacy, while higher OHIP-14 scores implied that the OHRQoL was lower.
RESULTS
During analyses, the sample was stratified into the top and bottom 25% based on functional oral health literacy levels. OHRQoL had a statistically significant negative correlation with functional oral health literacy. The items on functional limitation, physical disability, social disability, and handicap specifically showed negative correlations. Multiple regression analysis was performed after including sociodemograhic variables also. Only functional and not verbal oral health literacy had a statistically significant influence on OHRQoL. The higher the functional oral health literacy level, the higher was the OHRQoL.
CONCLUSIONS
Enhancement of functional oral health literacy level through oral health education is necessary to improve the OHRQoL.

Keyword

Adult; Literacy; Oral health; Quality of life

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Dentistry
Education
Hand
Health Literacy
Humans
Marital Status
Oral Health*
Quality of Life*
Surveys and Questionnaires

Reference

References

1. Berg HJ, Slayton BL. Early child oral health. Iowa: Wiley-Black-well;2009. p. 200–201.

2. Baker DW, Gazmararian JA, Williams MV, Scott T, Parker RM, Green D, et al. Functional health literacy and the risk of hospital admission among Medicare managed care enrollees. Am J Public Health. 2002; 92:1278–1283.

3. Lee HS, Park HJ, Lee SJ. A study on the adult literacy in korea and international comparative survey among OECD countries. Korea J Comp Educ. 2003; 22:215–217.

4. Kim JE. Measuring the level of health literacy and influence factors: targeting the visitors of a university hospital’s outpatient clinic. J Korean Clin Nurs Res. 2011; 17:27–34.

5. D’Cruz AM, Shankar Aradhya MR. Health literacy among Indian adults seeking dental care. Dent Res J. 2013; 10:20–24.

6. Jones M, Lee JY, Rozier RG. Oral health literacy among adult patients seeking dental care. J Am Dent Assoc. 2007; 138:1199–1208.

7. Wehmeyer MM, Corwin CL, Guthmiller JM, Lee JY. The impact of oral health literacy on periodontal health status. J Public Health Dent. 2014; 74:80–87.

8. Ju HJ, Oh HW, Kim JY, Lee HS. A cross-sectional study on oral health literacy and its influencing factors among adults: I. Verbal oral health literacy. J Korean Acad Oral Health. 2012; 36:87–95.

9. Ju HJ, Oh HW, Lee HS. A cross-sectional study on oral health literacy and its influencing factors among adults: Ⅱ. Functional oral health literacy. J Korean Acad Oral Health. 2013; 37:81–88.

10. Vann WF, Lee JY, Baker D, Divaris K. Oral health literacy among female caregivers: impact on oral health outcomes in early childhood. J Dent Res. 2010; 89:1395–1400.

11. Bridges SM, Parthasarathy DS, Wong HM, Yiu CK, Au TK, Mc-Grath CP. The relationship between caregiver functional oral health literacy and child oral health status. Patient Educ Couns. 2014; 94:411–416.

12. Mejia GC, Weintraub JA, Cheng NF, Grossman W, Han PZ, Phipps KR, et al. Language and literacy relate to lack of children’s dental sealant use. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2011; 39:318–324.

13. Vann WF, Divaris K, Gizlice Z, Baker AD, Lee JY. Caregivers’ health literacy and their young children’s oral-health-related expenditures. J Dent Res. 2013; 92:55S–62S.

14. Guo Y, Logan HL, Dodd VJ, Muller KE, Marks JG, Riley JL 3rd. Health literacy: A pathway to better oral health. Am J Public Health. 2014; May 15.

15. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy people 2010. 2nd ed.2. Washington, DC: U.S. Government printing office;november. 2000.

16. Oral health in America: a report of the surgeon general. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health;2000.

17. Horowitz AM, Kleinman DV. Oral health literacy: a pathway to reducing oral health disparities in Maryland. J Public Health Dent. 2012; 72:S26–30.

18. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institute of Health, U.S. Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services. The Invisible barrier: literacy and its relationship with oral health. A report of a Workgroup Sponsored by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services. J Public Health Dent. 2005; 65:174–182.

19. Divaris K, Lee JY, Baker AD, Vann WF. The relationship of oral health literacy with oral health-related quality of life in a multi- racial sample of low-income female caregivers. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2011; 9:108.

20. Divaris K, Lee JY, Baker AD, Vann WF. Caregivers’ oral health literacy and their young children’s oral health-related quality-of-life. Acta Odontol Scand. 2012; 70:390–397.

21. Jamieson LM, Divaris K, Parker EJ, Lee JY. Oral health literacy comparisons between indigenous Australians and American indians. Community Dent Health. 2013; 30:52–57.

22. Richman JA, Lee JY, Rozier RG, Gong DA, Pahel BT, Vann WF. Evaluation of a word recognition instrument to test health literacy in dentistry: the REALD-99. J Public Health Dent. 2007; 67:99–104.

23. Gong DA, Lee JY, Rozier RG, Pahel BT, Richman JA, Vann WF. Development and testing of the test of functional health literacy in dentistry (TOFHLiD). J Public Health Dent. 2007; 67:105–112.

24. Bae KH, Kim HD, Jung SH, Park DY, Kim JB, Paik DI, et al. Validation of the Korean version of the oral health impact profile among the Korean elderly. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2007; 35:73–79.

25. Bae KH. Oral health related quality of life and development of oral health programs in Korean elders[doctor’s thesis]. Seoul: Seoul National University;2005. [Korean].

26. Lee JY, Rozier RG, Lee SY, Bender D, Ruiz RE. Development of a word recognition instrument to test health literacy in dentistry: the REALD-30–a brief communication. J Public Health Dent. 2007; 67:94–98.

27. The National Institute of The Korean Language. Korean yearbook. Seoul: The National Institute of The Korean Language;2009. p. 1–1007.