J Korean Acad Oral Health.
2013 Jun;37(2):81-88.
A cross-sectional study on oral health literacy and its influencing factors among adults: II. Functional oral health literacy
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Preventive and Public Health Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea. smagn@wonkwang.ac.kr
- 2Institute of Wonkwang Dental Research, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to examine the functional oral health literacy and its influencing factors among adults.
METHODS
The subjects were 760 adults living in the cities of Iksan and Jeonju. A survey was conducted among 18-59-year-olds. Adults who were 60 years of age or older were also selected by convenience sampling and interviewed.
RESULTS
In total, 36 percent of the adults tested on functional oral health literacy scored a seven or less on our survey, indicating that their functional oral health literacy was inadequate. Functional oral health literacy was related to age, educational level (especially, low levels of math) and family income.
CONCLUSIONS
Many adults have poor functional oral health literacy. Therefore, improvement programs for oral health literacy for adults need to be developed, taking into account their social characteristics.
