Evaluation of Oral Health Literacy among Adults in Sari - Iran

Background and aim: It is generally accepted that oral health literacy is one of the important determinants of oral health. The aim of this study was to evaluated oral health literacy in Sari City -Northern Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 855 adult citizens of Sari by random sampling. The data was collected using a standard questionnaire including 17 questions regarding oral health literacy in four sections: content comprehension, number comprehension, listening and decision making; three questions about oral health behaviors and some questions about self-assessment of oral health status, age, gender and education. Citizens were divided into three groups in terms of oral health literacy: inadequate (0-9), marginal (10-11), and adequate (12-17). The data was analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics including chi-square, t-test, ANOVA and correlation coefficient in SPSS ver. 20 software. Results: 43.3% of the Sari city citizens had adequate oral health literacy. The mean score of oral health literacy was 10.02 +/- 3.4 out of 17. Oral health literacy was higher among educated and employed people, as well as those with smaller households. Those who reported better oral health behaviors had higher oral health literacy than others (P-value <0.001). Also, those who had poor oral health status in compare with two other groups had lower oral health literacy (P-value <0.001). Conclusion: The oral health literacy of Sari city citizens was marginal. Oral health care providers need to devise the necessary plans to improve the oral health of the community