Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2025
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Exploring the Synergistic Association Between Oral Health Status and Oral Health Literacy Among College Students: A
Priya Agarahari1, Ankita Jain1, Souvir Mohan Pandey2
1Department of Public Health Dentistry, Teerthanker Mahaveer Dental College and Research Centre, Moradabad, IND.
Introduction:
Oral health is often viewed as a significant component for an indication of good general health or for good well-being together with a decent quality of life. Health literacy is considered a crucial factor in improvising a good life or excellent health. Oral health literacy (OHL) is the ability necessary for people to identify the factors that lead to poor oral health, learn and put into practice the essentials of effective oral self-care behaviors, and communicate with oral healthcare professionals in order to schedule appointments, put their names on waiting lists for dental care, and locate the dentist's office.
Aim And Objectives:
To evaluate students' oral health, their OHL, to determine the relationship between their oral health status and OHL, and finally to suggest preventive measures for the benefit of public health.
Materials And Method:
At Teerthanker Mahaveer University, a cross-sectional study involving 1500 participants, ages 18 to 25, was conducted on students studying nursing, physiotherapy, paramedicine, engineering, and law. Their informed consent was obtained. The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD-99) was used to gauge OHL levels, and the WHO's 1997 Oral Health Survey was used for their clinical evaluation.
Results:
The mean REALD score was significantly higher in nursing students (88.32±6.46), followed by physiotherapy college (82.46±9.11), paramedical college (70.54±10.95), law college (46.52±7.74), and least in engineering college (38.80±10.65). The difference in the REALD score based on college was statistically significant. Along with this, the REALD score showed a correlation with gender and location too. Except for fluorosis, all the clinical parameters of dental caries, gingival bleeding, and pockets, loss of attachment, dental fluorosis, and dental enamel were associated with OHL.
Conclusion:
The results of the current study showed a relationship between educational attainment, clinical parameters examined, and OHL, leading to the conclusion that higher OHL is related to better oral health. So, we can conclude that maintaining good oral health requires OHL.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Health Literacy
01:11Oral Cavity
Teeth: The teeth are the hardest structures in our bodies. Humans have two sets of teeth throughout their lifetime: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Each tooth consists of several parts: the crown (visible part), the root (embedded in the jaw), enamel (hard outer...
01:15Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...
01:26Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
01:21Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or...
02:16Surveys