Pandya Sajankumar R, Janki Shah, Daryani Hemasha
Department of Public Health Dentistry, Government Dental College and Hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Niger Postgrad Med J. 2025 Jul 1;32(3):171-177. doi: 10.4103/npmj.npmj_15_25. Epub 2025 Aug 1.
Measurement of literacy gives an insight into a person's oral health awareness. Inclusion of psychological, emotional, behavioural and knowledge quotient can provide a holistic aspect to the measuring tool.
The aim of the study was to determine the enabling factor of oral health literacy (OHL) and predictors of oral health outcome among the adult population in Ahmedabad city.
This was a cross-sectional study of 427 eligible participants aged 35-44 years obtained through a multistage sampling method in three stages. Data about OHL were recorded with the help of a 14-item questionnaire, whereas socioeconomic status (SES), tobacco habit, oral hygiene status, dental caries experience, prosthetic status and oral precancerous lesions were collected with clinical examination. Multivariable regression was used to analyse enabling variables for OHL and predictor for oral health outcome.
It was found that more than half (54.3%) of the study subjects had marginal OHL. Participants from upper SES had 1.053 greater odds (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.053-1.167; P = 0.001) having adequate OHL relative to inadequate OHL. Participants with adequate OHL have 9.373 times greater odds (95% CI: 1.890-4.491; P = 0.006) having good oral hygiene relative to poor oral hygiene. OHL appeared to be a meaningful predictor for oral hygiene, dental caries experience, tobacco consumption, precancerous lesion and prosthetic status.
Adult education and SES are potential facilitators for adequate to marginal OHL, and OHL can fairly predict oral health.
读写能力的测量有助于了解一个人的口腔健康意识。将心理、情感、行为和知识商数纳入其中，可以为测量工具提供一个全面的视角。
本研究的目的是确定艾哈迈达巴德市成年人口中口腔健康素养（OHL）的促成因素以及口腔健康结果的预测因素。
这是一项横断面研究，通过三阶段多阶段抽样方法选取了427名年龄在35 - 44岁的合格参与者。借助一份包含14个条目的问卷记录有关OHL的数据，而社会经济地位（SES）、烟草使用习惯、口腔卫生状况、龋齿经历、修复体状况和口腔癌前病变则通过临床检查收集。采用多变量回归分析OHL的促成变量和口腔健康结果的预测因素。
发现超过一半（54.3%）的研究对象口腔健康素养处于边缘水平。来自较高社会经济地位的参与者具备充足口腔健康素养相对于不充足口腔健康素养的优势比高1.053倍（95%置信区间[CI]：1.053 - 1.167；P = 0.001）。具备充足口腔健康素养的参与者口腔卫生良好相对于口腔卫生差的优势比高9.373倍（95% CI：1.890 - 4.491；P = 0.006）。OHL似乎是口腔卫生、龋齿经历、烟草消费、癌前病变和修复体状况的一个有意义的预测因素。
成人教育和社会经济地位是充足至边缘水平口腔健康素养的潜在促进因素，并且口腔健康素养能够较好地预测口腔健康。
