21 - 21 The Problem with Oral Health Literacy

Description: It is widely recognized that behaviors that individuals perform on a daily basis can either lead to oral diseases or help prevent them. The extensive literature on interventions to support people adopting healthier oral health behaviors is primarily focused on addressing “oral health literacy” defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate oral health decisions.” The primary strategy described is to provide people with information which assumes that having information will lead to the adoption of new behaviors. This strategy is based on a misunderstanding of the most effective means to support behavior change and is contrary to many behavior change principles and theories.

This roundtable will review strategies for supporting adoption of new behaviors and what is needed to turn new behaviors into long term habits. A six-step model will be described and principles for implementing the model will be presented. Considerations for integrating this model into dental health systems and dental practices will be reviewed. In addition, the importance of engaging and integrating community-based personnel, organizations and structures will be emphasized.

Oral health professionals have the opportunity to optimize oral health by going beyond a focus on oral health literacy and to learn and adopt the principles of effective behavior change and habit formation. Those who understand the need to go beyond oral health literacy will be more successful at supporting people to improve their oral health.

Source of

Funding: : none