Preventive dental visits and health literacy in patients with diabetes: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Aim This cross-sectional study examined the association between health literacy and preventive dental visits in patients with diabetes. Methods We used cross-sectional data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS), a web-based nationwide survey. The participants were 1,441 patients reporting to have diabetes in 2020. Health literacy was measured using the validated scales for health literacy. Preventive dental visits in the past 12 months were self-reported. We estimated the multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) for preventive dental visits. Results Over 50% of the patients had preventive dental visits in the past 12 months, and approximately one-third had high health literacy. Compared with the low health literacy group, the high health literacy group was more likely to engage in preventive dental visits (the multivariable-adjusted PR associated with high health literacy: 1.12 [95% confidence interval: 1.01 to 1.23]). Similar results were obtained when health literacy was treated as a continuous variable. Conclusions The present data from the JACSIS showed that health literacy was positively associated with preventive dental visits among patients with diabetes.