title: Oral health literacy levels among a low-income WIC population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine oral health literacy (OHL) levels and explore potential racial differences in a low-income population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of caregiver/child dyads that completed a structured 30-minute in-person interview conducted by two trained interviewers in seven counties in North Carolina. Sociodemographic, OHL, and dental health-related data were collected. OHL was measured with a dental word recognition test [Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD-30)]. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate methods were used to examine the distribution of OHL and explore racial differences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1658 eligible subjects, 1405 (85 percent) participated and completed the interviews. The analytic sample (N=1280) had mean age 26.5 (standard deviation = 6.9) years with 60 percent having a high school degree or less. OHL varied between racial groups as follows: Whites--mean score = 17.4 (SE = 0.2); African-American (AA)--mean score = 15.3 [standard error (SE) = 0.2]; American Indian (AI)--mean score = 13.7 (SE = 0.3). Multiple linear regression revealed that after controlling for education, county of residence, age, and Hispanic ethnicity, Whites had 2.0 points (95 percent CI = 1.4, 2.6) higher adjusted REALD-30 score versus AA and AI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences in OHL levels between racial groups persisted after adjusting for education and sociodemographic characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. leej@dentistry.unc.edu
authors.forename: Jessica Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kimon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Divaris
authors.forename: A Diane
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: R Gary
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Rozier
authors.forename: Shoou-Yih D
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Vann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005522:Food Services; D015438:Health Behavior; D057220:Health Literacy; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D007223:Infant; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D009909:Oral Health; D011203:Poverty; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D020377:Self Efficacy; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult