Research Center for Caries Prevention (RCCP), Dental Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Community Oral Health, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
PLoS One. 2021 Nov 5;16(11):e0258810. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258810. eCollection 2021.
This analytical cross-sectional study aimed to assess the correlation of oral health literacy (OHL) and oral health status and behavior in participants of a pre-marriage counseling program. Also, it aimed to determine the target population's OHL needs to design necessary interventions. A total of 828 couples with a mean age of 24.22 years participating in a pre-marriage counseling program were evaluated. Data were collected using the oral health literacy-adult questionnaire (OHL-AQ). Clinical oral examinations were performed to measure the gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), and DMFT. The mean OHL score of the couples was 7.86±3.83 out of 17; while, the mean DMFT score was 6.30±5.73. After controlling for the confounders, OHL had a significant correlation with the frequency of dental visits, and smoking status, and inverse correlation with the number of decayed teeth and missing teeth, and PI, and GI (p<0.05). The current results highlight the necessity of OHL interventions to fill the existing gaps. This is an unmet need of the couples, and such interventions are required to promote their own oral health as well as the oral health of their future children.
本分析性横断面研究旨在评估口腔健康素养（OHL）与参加婚前咨询计划的参与者的口腔健康状况和行为之间的相关性。此外，还旨在确定目标人群的 OHL 需求，以设计必要的干预措施。共有 828 对年龄平均为 24.22 岁的夫妇参加了婚前咨询计划。使用口腔健康素养成人问卷（OHL-AQ）收集数据。进行临床口腔检查以测量牙龈指数（GI）、菌斑指数（PI）和 DMFT。夫妇的平均 OHL 得分为 17 分中的 7.86±3.83；而平均 DMFT 得分为 6.30±5.73。在控制混杂因素后，OHL 与就诊频率、吸烟状况呈显著相关，与龋齿数、缺牙数、PI 和 GI 呈负相关（p<0.05）。目前的结果强调了进行 OHL 干预以填补现有空白的必要性。这是夫妇的未满足需求，需要进行此类干预以促进他们自己的口腔健康以及他们未来孩子的口腔健康。
