Oral health knowledge and dental utilization among Hispanic adults in Iowa

The objectives of this study were to determine the oral health knowledge levels of Hispanic adults living in Iowa and whether oral health knowledge is associated with the use of dental care. A survey was conducted with 338 participants who were recruited via mass email, word of mouth, and from faith-based organizations that provided church services in Spanish. Oral health knowledge was assessed using the Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge (Macek and colleagues) and was categorized as low (0-14) or high (15-23). Dental care was defined as visiting a dental provider ≤12 months or >12 months ago. Fifty-one percent of participants had low oral health knowledge. Thirty-five percent of participants reported visiting the dentist >12 months ago. Participants with low oral health literacy were more likely to have less than a 12th grade education, lack dental insurance, and prefer to receive care from a Spanish speaking dental provider. Participants who visited the dentist >12 months ago were more likely to be male, earn <$25,000 per year, lack dental insurance, and have a history of tooth decay. Additionally, participants with low oral health knowledge were more likely to visit the dentist > 12 months ago. Patients with low oral health literacy may be less likely to utilize dental care, thus decreasing the opportunity to increase dental knowledge. Dental teams should recognize which patients are more likely to have low oral health literacy and provide dental education in patients’ preferred language.