Oral health knowledge is associated with oral health-related quality of life: a survey of first-year undergraduate students enrolled in an American university

• Published in: BMC oral health 2023-12, Vol.23 (1), p.961-961, Article 961
• Main Authors: Gardner, Jenna, Huang, Boyen, Ip, Ryan H L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Analysis; College students; Colleges & universities; Comprehensive measure of oral health knowledge (CMOHK); Dental insurance; Health aspects; Humans; Informed consent; Knowledge; Oral Health; Oral health knowledge; Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL); Oral hygiene; Ordinal regression; Population; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Response rates; Schools; Social aspects; Speech perception; Students; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teeth; Toothbrushing; Undergraduate; United States; Universities; Well being; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 1472-6831; 1472-6831
• DOI: 10.1186/s12903-023-03721-5

Oral health knowledge forms part of oral health literacy that enables individuals to inform appropriate oral health decisions and actions. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) characterizes self-perception of well-being influenced by oral health. This study aimed to examine the relationship between oral health knowledge and OHRQoL. A random sample of 19-to-24-year-old first-year undergraduate students (n = 372) in Minnesota, United States of America was used. Each student was assessed with an online survey using the Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge (CMOHK) and the OHRQoL items of the World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Questionnaire for Adults. Relationships between OHRQoL parameters and CMOHK together with other covariates were assessed using ordinal regression models. Associations between OHRQoL parameters were examined with the Kendall's tau-b method. Dry mouth (45%) was the most reported OHRQoL issue. The respondents showing good oral health knowledge were less likely to experience speech or pronunciation difficulty (β=-1.12, p = 0.0006), interrupted sleep (β=-1.43, p = 0.0040), taking days off (β=-1.71, p = 0.0054), difficulty doing usual activities (β=-2.37, p = 0.0002), or reduced participation in social activities due to dental or oral issues (β=-1.65, p = 0.0078). This study suggested a protective effect of better oral health knowledge on specific OHRQoL issues. In addition to provision of affordable dental services, university-wide oral health education can be implemented to improve OHRQoL in undergraduate students.