Journal of Modern Medical

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Emami N, Tagdisi A, Hashemzade Z, Rahimi H. Evaluation of oral health literacy among mothers of disabled children and adolescents in Kashan city in 2021. JMIS 2024; 10 (4) :383-396
URL: http://jmis.hums.ac.ir/article-1-568-en.html

Introduction: Planning for the prevention of oral diseases in children with disabilities is very important because, in the event of caries or oral disease, dental treatment for these children will be difficult. In the field of children’s oral health, mothers are the most influential people, and increasing mothers’ oral health literacy improves the oral health of their children. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the oral health literacy of mothers of children and adolescents with disabilities in Kashan in 2021.
Methods: The present study was descriptive-cross-sectional. The research population consisted of 45 mothers of children and adolescents with disabilities under the care of centers for children with disabilities in Kashan in 2021. Sampling was random. The Adult Oral Health Literacy Questionnaire was used to collect data. Data analysis was performed using SPSS v.20 software.
Results: The results showed that the mean total score of the oral health literacy questionnaire of the mothers studied was 10.07±4.17, of which only 19 (42%) had sufficient oral health literacy. Mothers with higher education, employment, and only one disabled child had a significantly higher level of oral health literacy than other mothers.
Discussion: Given the low to moderate oral health literacy level of mothers, it is essential to design and implement educational programs and oral health promotion interventions for this group. These programs should focus on increasing awareness of risk factors, methods of preventing oral diseases, and how to access health services.