Abstract

Objective: The objective was to compare the status of oral health literacy among dental and medical patients seeking care at Karachi Public Hospital.

Methods: It was a comparative study; data were collected from 200 patients of age group 20–70 years attending the Dental and Medical OPD at Dow University of Oral Health Sciences, Karachi. A valid Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHL-I) was used to assess their oral health literacy status. Oral health literacy was compared by using paired t-test and chi-square was applied to categorical variables for an association between independent and dependent variables.

Result: A total of 200 patients with a mean age group of 32.8 ± 12.9 years participated 59% women and 49% men were included. Statistical analysis was executed by using an independent-samples t-test to contrast oral health literacy status among medical and dental patients. The relationship between oral health literacy q uestions (dependent), and medical-dental patients (independent variables) was analyzed using a chi-square test of independence.

Conclusion: In this study, oral health literacy was significantly higher in dental patients as compared to medical patients. In turn, outcomes related to oral health literacy were indicators of poor self-reported oral health.