Comparing Well-Tested Health Literacy Measures for Oral Health: A Pilot Assessment

There has been growing national concern over the low health literacy of Americans and, coinciding with this, a growing importance placed on measuring health literacy. Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, and use information to make health decisions. Health literacy in an oral health context means access to accurate information about oral health, understanding the risks of neglecting oral care, and calculating the chances of getting periodontal disease. This exploratory study compared the 3 most popular and well-tested health literacy measures in an oral health setting. Using a survey of dental patients from safety net dental clinics in two states, we explored differences and similarities between health literacy measures as they pertained to oral health perceptions and oral self-efficacy. Findings indicated that the three health literacy measures were not interchangeable and had differential effects on data collected, which suggested differential relationships with oral health perceptions and outcomes.