IOM workshop examines oral health literacy

Washington—Limited oral health literacy is associated with inaccurate knowledge about preventive measures such as water fluoridation, dental care visits and oral health-related quality of life, the policy advisory Institute of Medicine said in a report. “For example, nationally only ’44 percent of adults with less than basic health literacy skills had a dental visit in the preceding year compared with 77 percent of those with proficient health literacy skills’.”