Assessing the relationship between caregivers' pediatric oral health literacy and children's caries status

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2013Purpose: The primary aims of this study were to 1) determine if caregivers' oral health literacy is associated with children's caries status using two different oral health literacy instruments, 2) explore if caregivers' scores on these instruments are correlated, and 3) compare caregivers' reading recognition and vocabulary knowledge. Methods:This was a cross-sectional study of primary caregivers and their 3-to-6 year old children conducted at a combined university-hospital dental clinic. Consenting caregivers completed an 18-item demographic and dental utilization survey, the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD-30), the Oral Health Literacy Inventory for Parents (OH-LIP) Parts I and II. The REALD-30 and OH-LIP I and II interviews were audio-recorded for scoring and reliability testing. All dmft scores were determined during the course of a full dental examination completed by a pediatric dental resident or faculty member. Results: Fifty-seven caregiver-patient pairs participated in this study. There were strong statistically significant correlations between the REALD-30, OH-LIP I, and OH-LIP II scores (r>0.7, p