Oral health literacy: Dental profession's response

For more than a decade, the medical community has been discussing limited health literacy, including intervention strategies and the role of patient-provider communication on health outcomes. Oral health professionals, for the most part, have had limited involvement in the health literacy arena, focusing largely on health education and health promotion. While these are noble efforts, they are likely inadequate to reach certain populations. Demonstrable improvements in oral health literacy will require dental professionals to go beyond individual health educational and promotional strategies and address the shared function of social and individual factors related to oral health literacy and risk communication. Targeted interventions and advocacy also need to occur with the educational, oral health care and cultural/social systems to maximize the desired benefits of improving oral health literacy. Equally important are the communication skills of the professionals with whom patients and potential patients interact regarding oral health, as well as the ability of the media, marketplace and others to provide health information in a manner responsive to the public's needs. Participants will identify ways the oral health care team can reduce the information burden and more effectively communicate with dental patients and the public. This interactive discussion and planning session will focus on generating practical suggestions that can be communicated to leaders of professional associations who should be involved to improve the oral health literacy of the public. A summary of the session will be published and distributed by the American Dental Association in cooperation with other oral health care organizations.