Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric dental procedures in primary healthcare settings in Piracicaba, Brazil: an ecological study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant changes to dental care, which may have affected pediatric dental care offered in primary healthcare settings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the quantity of dental procedures performed in primary healthcare for children aged 6 to 12 years, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is an ecological study using data from the health information system of Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. The variables considered were: coverage of first programmed dental consultation, restoration of permanent and deciduous teeth, topical fluoride application (individual per session), emergency care, and deciduous tooth extraction. Two periods were considered: period I (March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020) and period II (April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021), before and during the pandemic, respectively. Comparisons between periods were made using the paired nonparametric Wilcoxon test with a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: There was an increase in emergency care from 15.4 to 32.4% (p = 0.0095) and a decrease in the number of restorations of deciduous teeth from 32.8 to 20.2% (p = 0.0217). The first programmed consultation showed a decrease of 9.60% (p = 0.0930) in period II. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered access to primary dental care for children, impacting the quantity of emergency care, reducing restorations of deciduous teeth, and first programmed dental consultations. These findings highlight the need for strategies to ensure that pediatric dental care is not neglected during pandemics.

Structure and replicability of oral health-related quality of life networks across patients with schizophrenia and the general community.

OBJECTIVES: Schizophrenia is a disabling mental disorder associated with severe social dysfunction. Individuals with long-term mental conditions have poorer Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) compared to the general population, but little is known about the measurement properties of OHRQoL instruments in this group of patients. This study aimed to examine the replicability of OHRQoL networks across samples of the general community (GC) and patients with schizophrenia (PWS). METHODS: Data were obtained from 603 community-dwelling participants and 627 patients with schizophrenia. OHRQoL was measured using the short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire. A regularized partial correlation network was estimated for each sample. The number of dimensions and structural stability were assessed using Exploratory Graph Analysis. Global strength, edge weights and centrality estimates were compared. Network replicability was examined fitting the PWS data to the GC network structure. RESULTS: A single OHIP-14 dimension was identified in the GC sample, whereas three dimensions were detected in the PWS sample. Structural consistency was perfect in the network of GC participants (1), and considerably low in at least two dimensions of the PWS network (0.28; 0.65; 0.16). A moderate correlation for node strength estimates was observed (τ: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.72), although edge weights were not correlated (τ: 0.025; 95% CI: -0.11, 0.16). The fit of the PWS data to the GC network structure was deemed unacceptable. CONCLUSION: Network models of OHRQoL did not replicate across samples of the general community and outpatients with schizophrenia. Prudent use of OHIP-14 to compare measures of OHRQoL between groups with significant cognitive impartment and the general population is recommended.

Factors associated with oral health literacy among users of primary health care: a cross-sectional study

Aim To analyze associations between sociodemographic factors, self-perception, self-care practices in health with Oral Health Literacy (OHL) levels among users of Primary Health Care (PHC). Methods A cross-sectional and analytical study was performed in Piracicaba (São Paulo), Brazil, in 2018, with a convenience sample of users of PHC that were aged over 18 years. Data were collected with a questionnaire by a trained dentist in two Family Health Units. The outcome variable was OHL, measured by the OHLA-B instrument, which was dichotomized by median into low (≤8 point) and high (>8 point). The independent variables were sociodemographic conditions (age, sex, self-declared skin color, and education), self-perceived oral health and self-care practices in health (tooth brushing frequency, smoking habits, reason for the last visit to the dentist, and source of health information search). Unadjusted and adjusted analyses were performed between OHL and independent variables for multiple logistic regression model (p≤0.05). Results The sample consisted of 450 adults. A total of 54.7% had a low OHL. After adjusting for sex and age, OHL was associated with skin color (OR=0.57; 95%CI=0.37-085), educational level (OR=4.92; 95%CI=3.16-7.79), health information from health professionals (OR=2.40; 95%CI=1.42-4.16) and internet (OR=2.88; 95%CI=1.59-5.32), toothbrushing >1 time a day (OR=3.23; 95%CI=1.27-9.92) and smokers (OR=0.42; 95%CI=0.23-0.73). After adjusting for sex, age and income, OHL was associated with (OR=0.63; 95%CI=0.41-096), educational level (OR=4.06; 95%CI=2.57-6.51) and smokers (OR=0.48; 95%CI=0.26-0.84). Conclusions Low OHL was associated with socioeconomic factors, source of information and smoking. This fact highlights the importance of health professionals to promote OHL.

A psychometric network perspective to oral health literacy: Examining the replicability of network properties across the general community and older adults from Brazil.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the replicability of oral health literacy (OHL) network models across the general community and a sample of older adults from Brazil. METHODS: Data were obtained from two oral health surveys conducted with a total of 1138 participants. OHL was measured using the short form Health Literacy in Dentistry scale (HeLD-14). A regularized partial correlation network was estimated for each sample. Dimensionality and structural stability were examined via exploratory graph analysis. Network properties compared included global strength, edge weights, and centrality estimates. Model replicability was examined fitting the general community model to the older participants' data. RESULTS: Six dimensions with the exact same item composition were detected in both network models. Only the Receptivity domain in the older adults sample yielded low structural stability. Strong correlations were observed between edge weights (τ: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.62-0.74) and between node strength estimates (τ: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.36-0.89). No statistically significant differences were found for global strength. The fit of the older adults sample to the HeLD-14 network structure of the general community sample was satisfactory. CONCLUSION: Network models OHL replicated across the general community and a sample of older adults. The psychometric network approach is a useful tool to evaluate the measurement equivalence of OHL instruments across populations.

Association between oral health literacy and dental outcomes among users of primary healthcare services.

This study aimed to investigate the association between Oral Health Literacy (OHL) and dental outcomes. A sample of 920 adults above 18 years of age living in areas covered by 10 Family Health Units (FHUs) in a large city in São Paulo state, Brazil, was included. OHL was assessed using the short-form Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). Data on sociodemographic factors, oral health, and general health were obtained through a structured questionnaire. The investigated outcomes "tooth loss" and "reason for the last dental appointment" were evaluated using self-reported data. Simple logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between each independent factor and outcomes. Factors that presented a significance level of ≤0.20 in the bivariate analysis were included in the hierarchical multiple logistic regression models. Participants with an education level up to high school, low OHL, and poor/fair self-rated oral health had 1.35 (95%CI, 1.01-1.80), 1.48 (95%CI, 1.12-1.95), and 1.46 (95%CI, 1.11-1.92) times more probability to report missing teeth, respectively. Adults from families with lower monthly income, low OHL, and poor/fair self-rated oral health had 1.70 (95%CI, 1.29-2.26), 1.89 (95%CI, 1.42-2.51), and 1.73 (95%CI, 1.30-2.30) times more chance, respectively, to have gone to the last dental appointment due to pain or caries. Adults with low OHL levels are more likely to have missing teeth and have gone to the last dental visit for pain, reinforcing the importance of OHL as an important determinant for promoting oral health.

Oral Health Literacy and Periodontal Disease in Primary Health Care Users.

BACKGROUND: Oral health literacy (OHL) is a key factor for reducing inequalities in oral health and promoting better health outcomes, including those related to periodontal health. This study aimed to evaluate associations between OHL and periodontal disease amongst users of primary health care services. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 250 adult users of primary health care services in Brazil. OHL was measured using the Oral Health Literacy Instrument-Brazilian (OHLA-B). Participants also answered a structured questionnaire addressing sociodemographic and behavioural data. Clinical oral examination was performed using the Community Periodontal Index. Analyses of the crude associations were performed by simple logistic regression models, and estimates were reported as odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Variables associated with a significance level <0.20 in bivariate analyses were included in hierarchical multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: Amongst participants, 62% were female with an average age of 37.2 years. Adults aged 37 years or older (OR, 5.48; 95% CI, 2.68-11.21), with fewer years of study (OR, 3.34; 95% CI, 1.66-6.71), with low OHL levels (OR, 5.91; 95% CI, 1.71-20.49), and who smoked (OR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.34-8.09) were more likely to have periodontal pockets compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Primary health care users with low OHL levels presented with more severe periodontal diseases.

Association between oral health literacy and dental outcomes among users of primary healthcare services

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the association between Oral Health Literacy (OHL) and dental outcomes. A sample of 920 adults above 18 years of age living in areas covered by 10 Family Health Units (FHUs) in a large city in São Paulo state, Brazil, was included. OHL was assessed using the short-form Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). Data on sociodemographic factors, oral health, and general health were obtained through a structured questionnaire. The investigated outcomes "tooth loss" and "reason for the last dental appointment" were evaluated using self-reported data. Simple logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between each independent factor and outcomes. Factors that presented a significance level of ≤0.20 in the bivariate analysis were included in the hierarchical multiple logistic regression models. Participants with an education level up to high school, low OHL, and poor/fair self-rated oral health had 1.35 (95%CI, 1.01-1.80), 1.48 (95%CI, 1.12-1.95), and 1.46 (95%CI, 1.11-1.92) times more probability to report missing teeth, respectively. Adults from families with lower monthly income, low OHL, and poor/fair self-rated oral health had 1.70 (95%CI, 1.29-2.26), 1.89 (95%CI, 1.42-2.51), and 1.73 (95%CI, 1.30-2.30) times more chance, respectively, to have gone to the last dental appointment due to pain or caries. Adults with low OHL levels are more likely to have missing teeth and have gone to the last dental visit for pain, reinforcing the importance of OHL as an important determinant for promoting oral health.

Repercussions of the COVID-19 epidemic on Brazilian National Health System urgent dental care in Piracicaba, Brazil, 2020. / Repercussões da epidemia de COVID-19 nos atendimentos odontológicos de urgência do Sistema Único de Saúde em Piracicaba, 2020.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on procedures performed by a public urgent dental care service (PUDS). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study, using data from the PUDS in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, prior to the pandemic (February-March 2020) and during the pandemic (March-April 2020). Differences in the care profile between the pre-COVID-19 period and the COVID-19 period, according to sex, age and dental procedures were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-square test. Effect size was also measured using Cramer's V. RESULTS: There was a 51% reduction in the number of visits between the pre-COVID-19 period (n=824) and the COVID-19 period (n=404). The percentage of extractions reduced from 14.7% to 8.9%, while the percentage of temporary cavity fillings increased from 22.9% to 33.2%, between the two periods. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had repercussions on the amount and pattern of procedures performed at the city's urgent dental care service.

Psychometric properties of the adapted instrument European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short-short form.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the health literacy questionnaire European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short-short form (HLS-EU-Q6) in Brazilian adults. METHOD: the instrument was translated and pre-tested in a sample of 50 individuals. Subsequently, it was applied to a sample of 783 adult individuals. The data went through an appropriate process of testing the properties, with the combination of techniques of Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Item Response Theory. For the assessment of reliability, the Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega indicators were used. Cross-validation with full data analysis was applied. RESULTS: the majority of the participants was female (68.1%), with a mean age of 38.6 (sd=14.5) years old and 33.5% studied up to elementary school. The results indicated a unidimensional model with an explained variance of 71.23%, adequate factor load levels, commonality and item discrimination, as well as stability and replicability of the instrument to other populations. CONCLUSION: the Brazilian version of HLS-EU-Q6 indicated that the instrument is suitable for indiscriminate application in the population to which it is intended to assess health literacy levels.

Repercussões da epidemia de COVID-19 nos atendimentos odontológicos de urgência do Sistema Único de Saúde em Piracicaba, 2020 / Repercusiones de la epidemia de COVID-19 en la atención odontológica de emergencia del Sistema Único de Salud en Piracicaba, Brasil, 2020 / Repercussions of the COVID-19 epidemic on Brazilian National Health System urgent dental care in Piracicaba, Brazil, 2020

Objetivo: Avaliar as repercussões da pandemia de COVID-19 nos procedimentos realizados por um serviço público odontológico de urgência (SPOU). Métodos: Estudo transversal, utilizando-se dados do SPOU de Piracicaba, SP, Brasil, relativos a dois períodos, anterior (fevereiro e março de 2020) e durante a pandemia (março e abril de 2020). Diferenças no perfil de atendimentos, entre os períodos pré-COVID-19 e COVID-19 selecionados, de acordo com sexo, idade e procedimentos odontológicos, foram analisadas pelo teste qui-quadrado de Pearson. Também foi calculado o tamanho do efeito Cramer's V. Resultados: Houve redução de 51% no número de atendimentos, entre o período anterior (n=824) e o período da pandemia de COVID-19 observado (n=404). O percentual de exodontias reduziu-se, de 14,7 para 8,9%, enquanto o de selamento provisório de cavidades aumentou de 22,9 para 33,2%, entre ambos períodos. Conclusão: A pandemia de COVID-19 repercutiu na quantidade e no padrão de procedimentos realizados pelo serviço odontológico de urgência do município.

Objetivo: Evaluar el impacto de la pandemia COVID-19 en los procedimientos realizados por un servicio de odontología pública de emergencia (SOPE). Métodos: Estudio transversal, utilizando datos del SOPE de Piracicaba, SP, Brasil, para los períodos anteriores (febrero y marzo 2020) y durante la pandemia (marzo y abril 2020). Las diferencias en el perfil de atención entre los períodos Pre-COVID-19 y COVID-19, según sexo, edad y procedimientos dentales, se analizaron mediante la prueba Chi-cuadrado de Pearson. También se calculó el tamaño del efecto de Cramer V. Resultados: Hubo una reducción del 51% en el número de visitas entre el período anterior (n=824) y el período de la pandemia de COVID-19 (n=404). El porcentaje de extracciones se redujo del 14,7% al 8,9%, mientras que el porcentaje de sellado provisional de cavidades aumentó del 22,9% al 33,2%, entre estos períodos. Conclusión: La pandemia de COVID-19 afectó la cantidad y patrón de procedimientos realizados en el servicio de odontología de emergencia de la ciudad.

Objective: To evaluate the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on procedures performed by a public urgent dental care service (PUDS). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, using data from the PUDS in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, prior to the pandemic (February-March 2020) and during the pandemic (March-April 2020). Differences in the care profile between the pre-COVID-19 period and the COVID-19 period, according to sex, age and dental procedures were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-square test. Effect size was also measured using Cramer's V. Results: There was a 51% reduction in the number of visits between the pre-COVID-19 period (n=824) and the COVID-19 period (n=404). The percentage of extractions reduced from 14.7% to 8.9%, while the percentage of temporary cavity fillings increased from 22.9% to 33.2%, between the two periods. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had repercussions on the amount and pattern of procedures performed at the city's urgent dental care service.

Psychometric properties of the adapted instrument European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short-short form / Propriedades psicométricas do instrumento adaptado European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short-short form / Propiedades psicométricas del instrumento adaptado European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short-short form

Objective: to investigate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the health literacy questionnaire European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short-short form (HLS-EU-Q6) in Brazilian adults. Method: the instrument was translated and pre-tested in a sample of 50 individuals. Subsequently, it was applied to a sample of 783 adult individuals. The data went through an appropriate process of testing the properties, with the combination of techniques of Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Item Response Theory. For the assessment of reliability, the Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega indicators were used. Cross-validation with full data analysis was applied. Results: the majority of the participants was female (68.1%), with a mean age of 38.6 (sd=14.5) years old and 33.5% studied up to elementary school. The results indicated a unidimensional model with an explained variance of 71.23%, adequate factor load levels, commonality and item discrimination, as well as stability and replicability of the instrument to other populations. Conclusion: the Brazilian version of HLS-EU-Q6 indicated that the instrument is suitable for indiscriminate application in the population to which it is intended to assess health literacy levels.

Objetivo: investigar as propriedades psicométricas da versão adaptada ao português do Brasil do questionário de letramento em saúde European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short-short form (HLS-EU-Q6) em adultos brasileiros. Método: o instrumento foi traduzido e pré-testado em uma amostra de 50 indivíduos. Em seguida, ele foi aplicado em uma amostra com 783 indivíduos adultos. Os dados passaram por um processo adequado de testagem das propriedades, com a combinação de técnicas da Análise Fatorial Exploratória, Análise Fatorial Confirmatória e Teoria de Resposta ao Item. Para a avaliação da confiabilidade, foram utilizados os indicadores de alfa de Cronbach e o Ômega de McDonald. Foi aplicada a validação cruzada com análise integral dos dados. Resultados: a maioria dos participantes era do sexo feminino (68,1%), com idade média de 38,6 (dp=14,5) anos e 33,5% estudaram até o ensino fundamental. Os resultados indicaram um modelo unidimensional com variância explicada de 71,23%, níveis de cargas fatoriais, comunalidades e discriminação do item adequados, bem como estabilidade e a replicabilidade do instrumento para outras populações. Conclusão: a versão brasileira do HLS-EU-Q6 indicou que o instrumento está adequado para aplicação de forma indiscriminada na população a que se destina para aferir os níveis de letramento em saúde.

Objetivo: investigar las propiedades psicométricas de la versión en portugués brasileño del cuestionario de alfabetización en salud European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short-short form (HLS-EU-Q6) en adultos brasileños. Método: el instrumento fue traducido y probado primero en una muestra de 50 individuos. Luego, se aplicó a una muestra de 783 individuos adultos. Los datos pasaron por un proceso adecuado de prueba de las propiedades, con la combinación de técnicas de Análisis Factorial Exploratorio, Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio y Teoría de Respuesta al Ítem. Para evaluar la confiabilidad se utilizaron los indicadores alfa de Cronbach y Omega de McDonald's. Se aplicó validación cruzada con análisis de datos completo. Resultados: la mayoría de los participantes era de sexo femenino (68,1%), con una edad media de 38,6 (dt = 14,5) años y el 33,5% cursó hasta la educación primaria. Los resultados indicaron un modelo unidimensional con una varianza explicada de 71,23%, niveles adecuados de carga factorial, comunalidades y discriminación de ítems, así como estabilidad y replicabilidad del instrumento a otras poblaciones. Conclusión: la versión brasileña de HLS-EU-Q6 indicó que el instrumento es apto para su aplicación indiscriminada en la población a la que se destina para evaluar los niveles de alfabetización en salud.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Self-efficacy Scale to Brush Teeth at Night.

This study aims to perform cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the "Self-efficacy scale to brush teeth at night" with a Brazilian adult population. Translation and cross-cultural adaptation to the Brazilian-Portuguese language were done according to the stages recommended in the literature. Construct validity was carried out by mean of exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis in a sample of 198 adult subjects. The reliability of the instrument was measured by Alpha and Omega indices. The model was observed to have been established as one-dimensional for all indicators, with explained variance of 85.7%; factorial loads between 0.85 and 0.91; and with communalities between 0.72 and 0.83. The goodness of fit of the model shown by the confirmatory model were between 0.98 and 0.99; with factorial loads between 0.85 and 0.93, and regression values between 0.69 and 0.84, all above the minimum indices established for instrument quality. For reliability, the Alpha and Omega values had identical indices of 0.95 showing high levels of reliability of the model. The G-H index replicability was 0.96, indicating the stability of solution in other contexts and samples. We concluded that all indicators represented excellent evidence of scale validity to measure self-efficacy to brush teeth at night.

Oral health literacy, self-rated oral health, and oral health-related quality of life in Brazilian adults.

The aim of this study was to investigate associations between oral health literacy (OHL), self-rated oral health (SROH), and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in Brazilian adults. A sample of 523 Brazilian adults completed the short-form Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) instruments that measure OHL and OHRQoL, respectively. The prevalence ratios (PRs) for outcome variables and their 95% CIs were quantified. Multivariable log-binomial regression models were applied, as the statistical models, to estimate bivariate and multivariable relationships of oral health outcomes with OHL, after adjusting for covariates. No significant association was found between poor SROH (as measured by single items) and OHL (PR = 1.28; 95% CI: 0.87-1.88); by contrast, significant associations were found between poor SROH and income (PR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.04-2.21), toothbrushing frequency (PR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.11-2.58), reason for dental visiting (PR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.03-2.13), and self-rated general health (PR = 3.44; 95% CI: 2.38-4.97). The OHL level (PR = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.21-2.56), educational level (PR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.41-0.93), reason for dental visiting (PR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.30-2.61), and self-rated general health (PR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.03-2.23) were associated with poor OHRQoL.

Validation of the Health Literacy in Dentistry scale in Brazilian adults.

OBJECTIVES: To perform cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Health Literacy Dental scale (HeLD) in Brazilian adults. METHODS: The HeLD instrument was translated and cross-culturally adapted to the Brazilian Portuguese language to create longer (HeLD-29) and shorter (HeLD-14) versions. The reliability and validity of these versions were assessed in a sample of 603 adults living near six primary care units in the city of Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS: Both versions of HeLD demonstrated high internal reliability, acceptable convergent validity and discriminant validity. However, the confirmatory factor analysis showed that only HeLD-14 demonstrated satisfactory goodness of fit. There were associations between HeLD-14 scores and social demographic characteristics, general and oral health and oral health-related behaviours. Higher scores were observed for the total HeLD-14 and/or individual components of HeLD-14 among women, ethnic white subjects, those with high educational attainment, those with higher income, those reporting toothbrushing twice or more daily, regular dental attenders, those who usually attended for dental care for a check-up, those with excellent or very good self-ratings of general health, those with excellent or very good self-ratings of oral health, and those without tooth extraction and oral health impact. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian version of HeLD-14 was demonstrated to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring broad aspects of oral health literacy in the adult Brazilian population.

Influence of oral health literacy on dissatisfaction with oral health among older people.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of oral health literacy (OHL) and associated factors on dissatisfaction with oral health (DOH) among older people. BACKGROUND: Oral health literacy is a recent field of research that has been considered an important mediator between socioeconomic variables and oral health outcomes. However, there are few studies with older people. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 535 non-institutionalised older people aged 60-100 years from Brazil. Individuals completed a questionnaire on general health, sociodemographic information and usual reason for dental visit. OHL was assessed using the Health Literacy in Dentistry questionnaire (HeLD-14), validated in Brazil. DOH was the outcome of interest. Poisson regression with robust standard errors was applied as a statistical model to estimate bivariate and multivariable relationships of DOH with OHL after adjusting for sex, age, social characteristics and general health using the P-value of ≤ .05. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of DOH was 21.1%. Multivariable regression analysis showed that older people with low OHL (HeLD-14 score ≤35) had 1.28 times the odds of having DOH than those with high OHL (HeLD14 score >46), after adjusting for sociodemographic, economic and health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Dissatisfaction with oral health in older people is a complex issue associated with OHL, social and behavioural factors. Health services should give greater attention to developing health literacy competences in older adults in order to empower them to achieve optimal oral health.

Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Oral Health Literacy Assessment in Spanish and development of a shortened form of the instrument.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Oral Health Literacy Assessment in Spanish (OHLA-S) for the Brazilian-Portuguese language using robust analysis and with the results disclose possibilities to develop a shorter and more valid instrument. METHODS: OHLA-S is an oral health literacy instrument comprising a word recognition section and a comprehension section. It consists of 24 dental words. It was translated into the Brazilian-Portuguese language (OHLA-B) and its psychometric properties were evaluated in a random sample of 250 adults aged 20-59 years. To assess the dimensionality and factor structure were tested by means of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Reliability was assessed using two indicators: Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega. RESULTS: EFA and CFA demonstrated that the OHLA-B with 24 items did not present an adequate adjustment of the model, compromising its validity. In addition, reliability values at 0.50 for Cronbach's alpha and 0.67 for McDonald's omega were below the minimum acceptable rate of 0.70. As no support was found for the original structure, we decided to proceed with the withdrawal of individual items and successive reanalysis of the model until the indicators were adjusted in a shorter instrument. A new structure with 15 items produced an instrument with two dimensions and a better goodness of fit than the original instrument. The Alpha and Omega reliability index values increased to 0.83 and 0.80, respectively, and all scores were better in the OLHA-B with 15 items than in the instrument with 24 items. CONCLUSION: OLHA-B with the original structure composed by 24 items did not show acceptable construct validity. The shorter version with 15 items showed more promising results for assessing oral health literacy levels in the Brazilian population.

Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Oral Health Literacy Assessment-Spanish to Brazilian Portuguese

Objective: To translate the Spanish version of the instrument to measure oral health literacy - Oral Health Literacy Assessment-Spanish (OHLA-S) - into Portuguese (Brazilian) and perform their cross-cultural adaptation. Material and Methods: OHLAS evaluates the level of oral health literacy from questions measuring pronunciation and comprehension skills of 30 dental terms concerning the etiology, anatomy, prevention and treatment of oral conditions. A committee of experts was created to evaluate all the steps of the process, right from the original version, through to the final one. The steps were: initial translation into Portuguese language by two Spanish teachers, backtranslation into Spanish by two native Spanish speaking, review by the committee, and pre-test. For the pre-test of cross-cultural adaptation, the alternative "did not understand" was added to each item of the tool. The instrument was applied to a sample of 20 adults. Results: In the initial translation, some differences were observed between the translated versions, and after the committee had reviewed these versions, a few words were replaced by other synonyms to enable better understanding of the instrument by the population. When the back-translation was compared with the original version, the results were very satisfactory and there was no need to make any further change or replacement. In the pre-test, the version of the tool Oral Health Literacy Assessment-Brazilian (OHLA-B) was very well understood by the studied population and there was no need for other cultural adaptations. Conclusion: OHLA-B proved to be easily understood by Brazilian adults and could be an important tool for measuring levels of oral health literacy.