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Readability of published dental educational materials.

R E Alexander1

  • 1Baylor College of Dentistry, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery & Pharmacology, Dallas, Texas 75266-0677, USA. ralexander@tambcd.edu

Journal of the American Dental Association (1939)
|August 1, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Many dental patient educational materials are too difficult for average readers to understand. Improving readability is crucial for effective patient communication and health literacy in dentistry.

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Area of Science:

  • Health Literacy
  • Dental Patient Education
  • Readability Assessment

Background:

  • Functional illiteracy affects a significant portion of adult Americans.
  • Health literacy challenges are exacerbated for non-native English speakers.
  • The issue of patient understanding of dental educational materials is under-addressed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the readability of dental patient educational materials.
  • To identify jargon and complex language in dental literature.
  • To highlight the need for improved patient communication in dentistry.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 24 patient educational documents from dental sources.
  • Utilized the Flesch-Kincaid Formula for quantitative readability assessment.

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  • Conducted a subjective review for jargon and complex vocabulary.

    • Main Results:

    • Reading levels ranged from 3rd to 23rd grade, with a mean level of 7th-9th grade.
    • 41.7% of materials exceeded the recommended reading level for general patients.
    • Numerous grammatical errors and 79 instances of jargon were identified.

    Conclusions:

    • Dental patient educational materials require enhanced focus on understandability.
    • Simplifying language and improving grammar are essential for patient comprehension.
    • Existing guidelines from other medical fields can inform better dental writing practices.