Oral Health Literacy in Adolescents: Barriers to Efective Preventive Dental Care and Integrative Strategies

Aim of the study The study highlights the critical role of oral health literacy in shaping oral health outcomes among vulnerable populations. Its objectives were to assess the relationship between health literacy and oral health literacy among adolescents, as well as the impact of individual factors on literacy levels. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study on 58 participants (mean age 13.72 ± 0.98) from a high school in Bucharest, Romania was conducted in October 2020. The oral health literacy was evaluated through the Romanian version of the REALD-30, while two instruments assessed health literacy: the REALM-Teen, and the REALM-R. A written questionnaire collected demographic information and participants' self-assessment of health status, access to dental services, reasons for dental visits and sources of information for oral health. IBM SPSS Statistics 25 was used for data analysis, with quantitative variables tested through Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis H tests (p ≤ 0.05). Spearman’s rho assessed correlations, Fisher’s Exact test evaluated qualitative variables, and Cohen’s kappa measured consistency between REALM-Teen and REALM-R scores. Results Positive correlation between REALM-Teen, REALM-R and REALD-30 was recorded. The most achieved high REALM-Teen (62.64 ± 2.62) and REALM-R levels (7.5 ± 0.7), while almost a half registered high REALD-30 levels (24.97 ± 3.13), with significant associations between REALM-Teen and REALD-30 levels (p = 0.002) and REALM-R and REALD-30 levels (p = 0.029). Higher REALM-Teen levels (p = 0.025) were significantly correlated with younger teenagers, while average REALD-30 levels associated the usage of Internet as a source of information (p = 0.011). Conclusions There is an association between OHL and HL during early adolescence. However, the predictors of OHL in adolescents may differ from those in other group populations, the study highlighting the need for age-appropriate tools to assess OHL and targeted interventions to improve HL in this group.