Oral Health and Dental Management

Abstract

Health Literacy among Indian Dental Patients

Pilla Padmaja, Suhas Kulkarni, Dolar Doshi, B Srikanth Reddy, M Padma Reddy, K Sahithi Reddy

Aim: To assess the health literacy levels based on age, gender and educational qualifications among dental patients visiting outpatient department of Panineeya Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Hyderabad, India. Method: A 16-item self-administered questionnaire developed by Chew and Colleagues was distributed in both English and local (Telugu) language to the patients seeking oral care at Panineeya Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital. Data was collected and statistical analysis was done using SPSS software (version 21.0). Results: A total of 2016 study subjects completed the questionnaire (response rate - 93.7%) with the mean age of 34.2 ± 12.8 years. The overall health literacy was 10.2 ± 4.2 and around 51% of the subjects reported marginal health literacy, while only 0.3% of inadequate health literacy was noticed among males aged 55+ years possessing university education. The overall health literacy and its domains presented a significantly negative correlation with the age and educational qualifications. Multivariate analysis revealed that age and educational qualifications had significant influence on health literacy. Conclusion: Poor health literacy can impede one's ability to read, understand health information needed and make appropriate health care decisions