Oral Health Literacy, Oral Healthcare-seeking Behaviour, and Perceived Oral Health Status of Children With Special Healthcare Needs by Their Carers : A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Carers’ oral health literacy (OHL) influences the oral healthcare-seeking behaviour (OHCSB) for their children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN). This study aimed to determine carers’ OHL, OHCSB, and perception of CSHCN’s oral health (OH) status, compare OHCSB scores across OHL levels, and examine the association between OHL levels and carers’ perception of CHSCN’s OH status. Materials and methods: The cross-sectional study involved 82 carers of CSHCN aged 3–17, selected through proportionate sampling based on determined respondent numbers per CSHCN centre and simple random sampling to select the carers. A self-administered Malay questionnaire of OHL Instrument (OHLI-M) Comprehension, OHCSB, and carers’ perception of OH status was used, with face-to-face interviews for OHLI-M numeracy. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 26.0. Descriptive analyses were performed. One-way ANOVA was used to compare OHCSB with OHL levels. Fisher’s exact test was applied to analyse carers’ perceptions and OHL levels. Results: The OHLI-M mean (SD) score was 75.7 (13.55), with 61% at an “Adequate” level. The OHCSB mean (SD) score was 10.3 (3.18). Most carers perceived the OH status of CSHCN as “Good” (39.0%). There was no significant difference in OHCSB scores across different levels of OHLI-M (p=0.758) and between OHL and carers’ perception of CSHCN’s OH status (p=0.666). Conclusion: The carers showed good OHLI-M scores with an “Adequate” OHL level and perceived a “Good” OH status for their CSHCN. Differences between OHL and OHCSB scores and their perception may stem from various factors needing further exploration to enhance CSHCN's OH status.