title: The association between oral health literacy and failed appointments in adults attending a university-based general dental clinic.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to determine the association between personal characteristics, a person's oral health literacy, and failing to show for dental appointments at a university dental clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  A secondary data analysis was conducted on data collected from 200 adults at a university dental clinic between January 2005 and December 2006. In the original study, an oral health literacy instrument, the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALM-D), was administered, sociodemographic and health information seeking behavior was gathered, and electronic records were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Descriptive and bivariate analyses and a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis were conducted. Seeking health information through fewer sources vs. multiple sources was the strongest predictor of failing to show. The subjects' oral health literacy, as measured by the REALM-D List 3 score, was the next most significant variable. Classification and regression tree analyses also selected gender, chief complaint, age, and payment type as predictor variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple factors contribute to failing to show for dental appointments. However, individuals who use fewer sources of oral health information, a subset of health literacy skills, are more likely to fail to show for dental appointments.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Holtzman
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Atchison
authors.forename: Melanie W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Gironda
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Radbod
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gornbein
mesh_terms: D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D003740:Dental Clinics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D014495:Universities
keywords: access; dental services research; disparities; psychosocial aspects of oral health; public health