Linguistic assessment and readability of paediatric dental patient education materials: an exploratory study

Objectives To explore linguistic characteristics of patient education materials (PEM) in paediatric dentistry.Methods A convenience sample of 52 PEM articles (2013-2023) was obtained from four sources: plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews (n = 25), Journal of American Dental Association patient pamphlets (n = 15), online patient health information from the Canadian Dental Association (n = 7), and MedLine Plus (n = 5) websites. Two investigators manually evaluated articles using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) - printed materials. Additional computerised analyses included five Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) measurements and two readability measurements (Flesch Reading Ease and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook). Descriptive and comparative statistics were undertaken.Results PEM articles from all four sources scored above the recommended 70% threshold for both PEMAT composite measurements (understandability/actionability) but minimal use (21%) of visual aids was identified. Mean values of LIWC summary measures (analytical thinking = 84, authenticity = 46, clout = 53, emotional tone = 29, big words = 26) indicated scope for linguistic improvement of PEM articles. Readability analyses indicated PEM articles were generally easy to read (≤Grade 6 level) except for Cochrane articles (Grade 9 level).Conclusions PEM articles evaluated in present study were sub-optimal thereby reducing parental ability to make well-informed decisions for their children.