Comparison between various oral health literacy scales among university students in Jaipur, India

Background: Oral health literacy (OHL) is a multidimensional concept that encompasses reading, writing, speaking, listening, proper decision-making skills, assessment of OHL level, and comparison between scales. Numerous tools are available to measure OHL using a range of indicators. Aim: The purpose of this study is to compare three OHL scales, namely, Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry-20 (REALMD-20), OHL Adults Questionnaire (OHL-AQ), and Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD), among university students in Jaipur, India. Methods: A comparative study was conducted among 180 university students from non-medical courses. Students’ literacy was measured using REALMD-20, OHL-AQ, and HeLD. Independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Pearson’s correlation test were used for statistical analysis. Results: A weak positive correlation coefficient was obtained between REALMD-20, OHL-AQ, and HeLD. The mean REALMD-20 scores of Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 16.3, 14.98, and 15.8, respectively. For OHL-AQ, the mean scores obtained for Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 6.77, 7.50, and 6.58, respectively. The mean HeLD scores in Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 104.23, 102.70, and 100.4, respectively. However, the differences between these groups on all three tested scales were not statistically significant. Conclusion: In the present study, a weak positive correlation was observed between REALMD-20, OHL-AQ, and HeLD, thereby revealing potential shortcomings in each of these tools. Relevance for Patients: Encouraging patients to articulate their comprehension of their conditions and instructions enables health-care providers to identify gaps and enhance OHL, leading to effective prevention of oral diseases.