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Research ArticleResearch

Functional Oral Health Literacy and Periodontal Health

Alyssa M. Olson, Yvette G. Reibel, Karl D. Self, Bruce Lindgren, Christine M. Blue and Priscilla M. Flynn
American Dental Hygienists' Association October 2022, 96 (5) 6-12;
Alyssa M. Olson
Minnesota State University, Mankato and a clinician at Open Door Health Center, Mankato, MN, USA.
MS, RDH
Roles: Assistant professor
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  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Yvette G. Reibel
Division of Dental Hygiene, School of Dentistry, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
EdD, LDH
Roles: Clinical assistant professor and the Clinical Director
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Karl D. Self
School of Dentistry, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
DDS, MBA
Roles: Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of the Division of Dental Therapy
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Bruce Lindgren
Masonic Cancer Center Biostat Core, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
MS
Roles: Senior Biostatistician
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Christine M. Blue
School of Dentistry, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
DHSc, MS, RDH
Roles: Assistant Dean for Faculty Development, Associate Professor
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Priscilla M. Flynn
School of Dentistry, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
DrPH, MPH, LDH, CHES
Roles: Associate professor
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Abstract

Purpose: Growing evidence associates low oral health literacy (OHL) with poor oral health outcomes. While nearly half of United States adults have periodontal disease (PD), there are conflicting results on association between OHL and PD. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the association between functional OHL and periodontal health as defined by the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) classification system.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of dental patients presenting for care at a Midwestern Federally Qualified Health Center. Functional OHL was measured using the Oral Health Literacy Adults Questionnaire (OHL-AQ), and periodontal health was measured clinically and categorized by stage and grade using the recently revised AAP classification system. Additional demographic factors and health history information related to periodontal health were collected. Descriptive analysis reported the median and range for ordered variables, and frequency and percentages for categorical variables. Wilcoxon rank sum test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to find association between functional OHL and periodontal health.

Results: Among fifty-four participants, statistically significant associations were found between OHL-AQ scores and AAP staging and grading categories. Periodontal disease stage increased with age, and periodontal disease grades progressed among participants with diabetes. No associations were found between periodontal health and sex, race, ethnicity, education, insurance, or country of origin.

Conclusion: Functional oral health literacy had a significant inverse relationship with both AAP periodontal disease staging and grading. A larger study is needed to confirm the findings of this pilot study.

Keywords:
  • oral health literacy
  • functional oral health literacy
  • periodontal health
  • periodontal disease grading
  • oral health outcomes
  • Received September 3, 2021.
  • Accepted May 16, 2022.
  • Copyright © 2022 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association
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American Dental Hygienists' Association: 96 (5)
American Dental Hygienists' Association
Vol. 96, Issue 5
October 2022
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Functional Oral Health Literacy and Periodontal Health
Alyssa M. Olson, Yvette G. Reibel, Karl D. Self, Bruce Lindgren, Christine M. Blue, Priscilla M. Flynn
American Dental Hygienists' Association Oct 2022, 96 (5) 6-12;

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Functional Oral Health Literacy and Periodontal Health
Alyssa M. Olson, Yvette G. Reibel, Karl D. Self, Bruce Lindgren, Christine M. Blue, Priscilla M. Flynn
American Dental Hygienists' Association Oct 2022, 96 (5) 6-12;
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Keywords

  • oral health literacy
  • functional oral health literacy
  • periodontal health
  • periodontal disease grading
  • oral health outcomes

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