The association of patients' oral health literacy and dental school communication tools: a pilot study.
The aim of this pilot study was to assess adult patients' ability to read and understand two communication tools at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry: the dental school clinic website and a patient education brochure pertaining to sedation in children that was written by dental school personnel. A convenience sample of 100 adults seeking treatment at the school's general dental clinic during 2012-13 completed a health literacy screening instrument. They were then asked to read clinic educational and informational materials and complete a survey. Analyses were conducted to determine the association between the subjects' oral health literacy and sociodemographics and their ability to locate and interpret information in written oral health information materials. SMOG and Flesch-Kincade formulas were used to assess the readability level of the electronic and written communication tools. The results demonstrated an association between these adults' oral health literacy and their dental knowledge and ability to navigate health information website resources and understand health education materials. Health literacy was not associated with age or gender, but was associated with education and race/ethnicity. The SMOG Readability Index determined that the website and the sedation form were written at a ninth grade reading level. These results suggest that dental schools and other health care organizations should incorporate a health-literate approach for their digital and written materials to enhance patients' ability to navigate and understand health information, regardless of their health literacy.
Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue contributed equally to this study. Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue are dental students at the School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Atchison is Professor, Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Ms. Richards is Staff Researcher, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; and Dr. Holtzman is Assistant Researcher, Division of Public Health and Community, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles.
Amy
A
Tam
Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue contributed equally to this study. Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue are dental students at the School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Atchison is Professor, Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Ms. Richards is Staff Researcher, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; and Dr. Holtzman is Assistant Researcher, Division of Public Health and Community, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles.
Olivia
O
Yue
Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue contributed equally to this study. Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue are dental students at the School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Atchison is Professor, Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Ms. Richards is Staff Researcher, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; and Dr. Holtzman is Assistant Researcher, Division of Public Health and Community, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles. katchison@conet.ucla.edu.
Kathryn A
KA
Atchison
Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue contributed equally to this study. Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue are dental students at the School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Atchison is Professor, Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Ms. Richards is Staff Researcher, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; and Dr. Holtzman is Assistant Researcher, Division of Public Health and Community, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles.
Jessica K
JK
Richards
Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue contributed equally to this study. Ms. Tam and Ms. Yue are dental students at the School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Atchison is Professor, Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; Ms. Richards is Staff Researcher, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles; and Dr. Holtzman is Assistant Researcher, Division of Public Health and Community, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles.
Jennifer S
JS
Holtzman
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian; D003142:Communication; D032882:Comprehension; D016292:Procedural Sedation; D003740:Dental Clinics; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D010174:Pamphlets; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011932:Reading; D012575:Schools, Dental; D013664:Teaching Materials; D044465:White People
REALM-D; dental education; dental school clinics; eHealth literacy; health education; health literacy; oral health literacy; patient care; patient communications