Relationship between Oral Health Literacy and Dentition Status among Adults in Hyderabad City - An Evaluative Study

The present study aimed to assess the relationship between oral health literacy (OHL) and dentition status among adults in Hyderabad.

A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess and correlate OHL and dentition status among adult dental patients from the Outpatient Department of Government Dental College and Hospital, Hyderabad. The survey tool consisted of four sections, which included demographic data, oral health behaviour, and 14-item Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) questionnaire and dentition status. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

The sample comprised 461 adults, among which 51.6% (238) were males and 48.4% (223) were females. The total mean Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) score of the study population was 3.52 ± 1.6. Subjects consuming tobacco had a significantly higher mean DMFT (4.0 ± 1.8) ( P = 0.001) and missing teeth component scores (0.4 ± 0.0) ( P = 0.004). Subjects with high HeLD-14 scores had lower DMFT values; likewise, the number of decayed, missing teeth was also lower, whereas the filled component was higher on the other hand for individuals with lower HeLD-14 scores. Based on education level and socio-economic status, the total mean DMFT was higher for subjects with university degree (3.6 ± 1.6) and those who were belonging to middle class (4.7 ± 0.6) on the socio-economic scale.

In this study, older participants with a higher level of education having fair and poor oral hygiene had significantly higher odds of high OHL. In this study, low OHL levels directly affected the oral health status.