Systematic review of the tools of oral and dental health literacy: Assessment of conceptual dimensions and psychometric properties

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Background This article aims to provide a description of conceptual dimensions and psychometric properties of the tools of oral and dental health literacy. Methods Two authors in this study conducted electronic searches in the Medline (via PubMed), and Embase databases to find relevant articles from 1990 to present day. Evaluation of the tools was carried out in two parts; general evaluation of the tools using skills introduced by Sørensen et al., and qualitative assessment of psychometric properties using COSMIN checklist. Results After reviewing 1839 articles on oral and dental health literacy and evaluating 33 full text articles for eligibility, 21 articles entered the study. The sample size varied from 20 to 1405 subjects and the items of each tool ranged from 11 to 99 items. Of the 21 tools examined, 16 tools were evaluated for word recognition. For the studies examined, the evaluation of COSMIN scores was often fair or good. Of the 21 tools examined, 9 tools at least in one dimension were in the category of "poor", 19 tools were in the category of "fair", 20 tools were in the category of "good", and 4 tools were in the category of "excellent" in at least one dimension. Conclusion The findings of this study showed that some aspects of oral and dental health literacy are being ignored in the existing tools. Therefore, the authors of present study emphasize on the necessity to design and develop a comprehensive tool and take into account two characteristics of simplicity and briefness for international use.</jats:p>

Explaining the concept of oral health literacy: Findings from an exploratory study

“…In our previous study, the dimensions of OHL were investigated using the available instruments. 48 Thus, and a promising point in the present research was the potential of shedding light on newer aspects of health literacy especially in the realm of oral health. Although, further research is required with a more focused approach to address Busyness of the participants was one of the most important limitations of this study; it greatly influenced access to them and conduction of comprehensive and accurate interviews.…”

“…We now consider the strengths and weaknesses of this study. In our previous study, the dimensions of OHL were investigated using the available instruments 48 . Thus, and a promising point in the present research was the potential of shedding light on newer aspects of health literacy especially in the realm of oral health.…”