Oral Health Literacy and Its Association With Oral Health Status Among Patients Attending a Tertiary Dental Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction  Limited oral health literacy (OHL) can adversely affect preventive behaviors, dental service utilization, treatment adherence, and oral health outcomes. Evidence linking literacy to clinically assessed oral health outcomes among patients attending tertiary dental hospitals remains limited. Objective  To assess OHL and determine its association with clinically assessed oral health conditions among adult dental patients and to identify sociodemographic, behavioral, and healthcare-related factors associated with low to moderate OHL. Materials and methods A hospital-based, cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 423 adults attending a tertiary dental hospital. The 17-item Oral Health Literacy-Adult Questionnaire (OHL-AQ) was used to assess OHL. Oral mucosal lesions, tooth loss, oral hygiene, periodontal pocketing, and dental caries were clinically evaluated. Associations were examined using bivariate tests and multivariable regression. Results Low, moderate, and high OHL were found in 31.0%, 15.6%, and 53.4% of participants, respectively. The prevalence of dental caries, periodontal pocketing, tooth loss, and poor oral hygiene was 57.4%, 41.4%, 43.7%, and 32.9%, respectively. After adjustment, low OHL was independently associated with a higher prevalence of dental caries (aPR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.22-1.66), periodontal pocketing (aPR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.32-2.12), tooth loss (aPR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.38-2.09), and poor oral hygiene (aPR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.31-2.32). Secondary education or below, rural residence, tobacco use, infrequent brushing, and irregular preventive dental visits were independently associated with low-to-moderate OHL. Conclusions  Limited OHL was associated with unfavorable behaviors and a greater burden of adverse oral health outcomes. Because these findings are cross-sectional and no intervention was tested, literacy-sensitive communication and preventive strategies warrant further evaluation as potential means of improving oral health outcomes in this population.