Association Between Parental Oral Health Literacy and Child Oral Health: Findings From a Cross-sectional Study Using the Tohlat-p Scale

Abstract Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of parents’ sociodemographic characteristics, oral health-related attitudes and behaviors, and oral health literacy (OHL) levels on the oral health outcomes of their children aged 6–12 years who attended a pediatric dentistry clinic. Methods: This cross-sectional study used the TOHLAT-P scale as a data collection tool and analyzed data from 238 parent-child pairs. The Pearson Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. Results: A significant association was found between good oral hygiene and higher parental education level (college/university graduate) (p = 0.002), employment status (employed) (p = 0.029), history of receiving oral health education (p = 0.045), regular toothbrushing (p = 0.020), routine dental check-ups (p < 0.001), and high TOHLAT-P scores. Participants with a TOHLAT-P score of 30 or below were found to be 5.366 times more likely to have poor-to-moderate oral hygiene levels (based on OHI-S scores) compared to those with scores of 31 or above (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Parental OHL level has a positive impact on children's oral hygiene, and sociodemographic and behavioral factors may influence this literacy level. In this context, it is recommended to develop family-based intervention models and literacy-focused health education strategies. Trial registration: Not applicable.