Abstract
Background: Oral health literacy (OHL) is a multidimensional concept that encompasses reading, writing, speaking, listening, proper decision-making skills, assessment of OHL level, and comparison between scales. Numerous tools are available to measure OHL using a range of indicators.
Aim: The purpose of this study is to compare three OHL scales, namely, Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry-20 (REALMD-20), OHL Adults Questionnaire (OHL-AQ), and Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD), among university students in Jaipur, India.
Methods: A comparative study was conducted among 180 university students from non-medical courses. Students’ literacy was measured using REALMD-20, OHL-AQ, and HeLD. Independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Pearson’s correlation test were used for statistical analysis.
Results: A weak positive correlation coefficient was obtained between REALMD-20, OHL-AQ, and HeLD. The mean REALMD-20 scores of Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 16.3, 14.98, and 15.8, respectively. For OHL-AQ, the mean scores obtained for Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 6.77, 7.50, and 6.58, respectively. The mean HeLD scores in Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 104.23, 102.70, and 100.4, respectively. However, the differences between these groups on all three tested scales were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: In the present study, a weak positive correlation was observed between REALMD-20, OHL-AQ, and HeLD, thereby revealing potential shortcomings in each of these tools.
Relevance for Patients: Encouraging patients to articulate their comprehension of their conditions and instructions enables health-care providers to identify gaps and enhance OHL, leading to effective prevention of oral diseases.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36922/jctr.23.00100
Author affiliation
1Department of Research, Shri Sadguru Seva Sangh Trust, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, India
2Department of Public Health Dentistry, NIMS Dental College, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
3Department of Public Health Dentistry, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Jharkhand, India
4Department of Public Health Dentistry, DJ College of Dental Sciences and Research, Uttar Pradesh, India
*Corresponding author:
Poonam Jangid
Department of Research, Shri Sadguru Seva Sangh Trust, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Email: poonamjangid@ioctn.org
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