Silvia Timková|Tatiana Klamárová|Eva Kova?ová|Bohušlav Novák|Peter Kolar?ík|Andrea Madarasová Gecková
Health Literacy Associations with Periodontal Disease among Slovak Adults
University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik|University of Prešov|University of Prešov|Comenius University Bratislava|University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik|Palacký University Olomouc|University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik|Palacký University Olomouc
periodontal disease inflammation gums without good oral hygiene progress periodontitis oral hygiene might related patients health literacy hl defined ability gain access understand use information promote maintain good health aim study examine associations hl indicators periodontal disease crosssectional study 1117 adults 362 males mean age 364 sd 142 attending dental hygiene treatment conducted data demographics socioeconomic status nine domains hl health literacy questionnaire hlq collected questionnaire community periodontal index treatment needs cpitn established dental hygienist data analysed using ttests logistic regression respondents periodontal disease n 152 statistically significantly lower levels hl seven nine hlq domains compared intact patients n 818 303 475 p lt 001 association higher hl seven domains lower chance diagnosed periodontal disease remain significant even adjustment age gender educational attainment adjusted ors 055067 p lt 005 findings confirm individuals lower hl significantly associated higher chance periodontal disease incidence specifically among slovak adults attending oral hygiene clinics hl might promising factor improvement oral health population worthy consideration intervention preventive activities