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February 2, 2026Applied Sciences0 citationsOpen Access

Assessment of eHealth Literacy and Its Association with Oral Health Behavior Among Outpatients of a Dental College in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross-Sectional Study

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KIKiran IyerMAMoataz AlmanaSASaud Alhindi

Key Points

  • This study aims to assess eHealth literacy levels and their association with oral health behaviors among dental outpatients.
  • Conducted a cross-sectional survey using the eHEALS questionnaire translated into Arabic.
  • Included additional questions concerning oral health behaviors.
  • Recruited 213 outpatients from a dental college's outpatient department.
  • Analyzed data using chi-square and multinomial regression.
  • Mean eHEALS score among participants was 26.17 (±7.5).
  • 50.7% of participants demonstrated good oral health behavior practices.
  • Elderly individuals, school-level education, and low family income correlated with inadequate eHealth literacy.
  • Participants with good oral health behavior showed significantly lower odds for inadequate or problematic eHealth literacy levels.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Digital platforms have increased access to health information. The eHEALS scale evaluates individuals’ capabilities for accessing, assessing, and assimilating health information to help them make well-informed oral health decisions. It would be interesting to examine the association with oral health behavior (OHB), as digital platforms are increasingly seen as a “super social determinant”. Hence, the present study aimed to assess eHealth literacy levels and their association with oral health behaviors among dental outpatients at a dental college in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using the eHEALS questionnaire was conducted after translation into Arabic, with additional questions on oral health behaviors. The internal consistency of the translated questionnaire was good. A total of 213 patients were recruited from the dental college’s outpatient department. Chi-square, followed by multinomial regression, was used in the statistical analysis. Results: The mean total eHEALS score in the sampled population was 26.17 (±7.5) of the 213 participants, with 108 (50.7%) having good oral health behavior practices. The elderly age group (OR 2.67, p = 0.01, CI 1.25–5.68), school-level education (OR 2.82, p = 0.03, CI 1.41–5.66), and low monthly family income (OR 2.53, p = 0.01, CI 1.25–5.11) were significantly associated with inadequate eHealth literacy. Participants with good oral health behavior had significantly lower odds of being categorized into inadequate (OR 0.41, p = 0.01, CI 0.20–0.81) or problematic (OR 0.43, p = 0.01, CI 0.22–0.85) levels of eHealth literacy. Conclusions: There is a significant association between eHealth literacy and individuals’ oral health behavior practices. Age, monthly family income, and education were key predictors of eHealth literacy levels.

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Cite This Study

Iyer et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6980fc17c1c9540dea80de09https://doi.org/10.3390/app16031394
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