Association of Oral Health Literacy and Oral Health Knowledge with Risk Behaviors and Self-Rated Oral Health Among Chinese Dental Patients: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Guangzhou.
- 1First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 58 Zhong Shan Road 2nd, Guangzhou 510080, China.
- 2Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8586, Japan.
Abstract
Background: This study investigated the associations of oral health literacy and oral health knowledge with oral health-related behaviors and self-rated oral health among Chinese dental patients attending a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, China. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 323 adult dental patients from 1 December 2025 to 28 February 2026. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, oral health literacy, oral health knowledge, risk behaviors, preventive oral-health practices, and self-rated oral health. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha analysis, Spearman's rank correlation, multiple linear regression, and ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Participants demonstrated relatively high levels of oral health literacy and oral health knowledge. Oral health literacy was positively correlated with oral health knowledge (ρ = 0.602, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with risk behaviors (ρ = -0.238, p < 0.001). Ordinal logistic regression analysis demonstrated that higher risk behavior scores were significantly associated with lower odds of reporting better self-rated oral health (Estimate = -0.104, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age (β = 0.180, p = 0.001), oral health literacy (β = -0.355, p < 0.001), and oral health knowledge (β = 0.199, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with risk behavior scores. Higher risk behavior scores were independently associated with poorer self-rated oral health (β = -0.214, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Chinese dental patients demonstrated satisfactory levels of oral health literacy and oral health knowledge. Higher oral health literacy was associated with fewer oral health-related risk behaviors, while greater engagement in risk behaviors was associated with poorer self-rated oral health.
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BibTeX
@article{yu2026association,
title = {{Association of Oral Health Literacy and Oral Health Knowledge with Risk Behaviors and Self-Rated Oral Health Among Chinese Dental Patients: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Guangzhou.}},
author = {Jiali Yu and Zhe Ji and Rui Jiang and Rafiqul Islam and Xiang Li and Ermin Nie},
journal = {Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/healthcare14203444},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940489},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association of Oral Health Literacy and Oral Health Knowledge with Risk Behaviors and Self-Rated Oral Health Among Chinese Dental Patients: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Guangzhou.
AU - Jiali Yu
AU - Zhe Ji
AU - Rui Jiang
AU - Rafiqul Islam
AU - Xiang Li
AU - Ermin Nie
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/healthcare14203444
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940489
AB - Background: This study investigated the associations of oral health literacy and oral health knowledge with oral health-related behaviors and self-rated oral health among Chinese dental patients attending a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, China. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 323 adult dental patients from 1 December 2025 to 28 February 2026. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, oral health literacy, oral health knowledge, risk behaviors, preventive oral-health practices, and self-rated oral health. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha analysis, Spearman's rank correlation, multiple linear regression, and ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Participants demonstrated relatively high levels of oral health literacy and oral health knowledge. Oral health literacy was positively correlated with oral health knowledge (ρ = 0.602, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with risk behaviors (ρ = -0.238, p < 0.001). Ordinal logistic regression analysis demonstrated that higher risk behavior scores were significantly associated with lower odds of reporting better self-rated oral health (Estimate = -0.104, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age (β = 0.180, p = 0.001), oral health literacy (β = -0.355, p < 0.001), and oral health knowledge (β = 0.199, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with risk behavior scores. Higher risk behavior scores were independently associated with poorer self-rated oral health (β = -0.214, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Chinese dental patients demonstrated satisfactory levels of oral health literacy and oral health knowledge. Higher oral health literacy was associated with fewer oral health-related risk behaviors, while greater engagement in risk behaviors was associated with poorer self-rated oral health.
SN - 2227-9032
ER -