ArticleBMC oral health2025
Oral health literacy and behaviors among Chinese university students: a comparative study of medical and non-medical students.
Article in BMC oral health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Health Literacy and Oral Health Behaviors Among Dental Medicine Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Depressive symptoms, oral health behaviors, and self-reported oral health conditions among Chinese university students: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in oral health · 2026Article
- The global, regional, and national patterns of change in the burden of edentulism, 1990-2021: an analysis of the global burden of disease study 2021 and forecast to 2041.Frontiers in oral health · 2025Article
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7 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundOral health literacy (OHL) plays a crucial role in improving oral health outcomes. Due to their academic background, medical students are presumed to have higher OHL levels than students in other disciplines. However, few studies have directly compared OHL and oral health behaviors between medical and non-medical students.
methodsThis cross-sectional study recruited undergraduate students from seven universities in Shandong, China. A total of 2,695 students completed an online survey between August and September 2024. The questionnaire collected information on demographic characteristics, OHL, and oral health-related behaviors. OHL was measured using the validated Chinese version of the short-form Dental Health Literacy Scale (HeLD-14). Data were analyzed using t-tests, chi-square tests, and mediation analysis conducted with the PROCESS macro in SPSS.
resultsAmong the participants, 1,572 (58.3%) were medical students. Medical students scored significantly higher on the HeLD-14 total score than non-medical students (56.96 ± 11.04 vs. 54.59 ± 11.24, P < 0.001), with consistently higher scores across all dimensions. In terms of oral health behaviors, medical students were more likely to brush after late-night snacks, use fluoride toothpaste, and floss regularly compared to non-medical students (all P < 0.05). Mediation analysis showed that OHL partially mediated the relationship between academic major and these oral health behaviors.
conclusionMedical students exhibit higher OHL and healthier oral health behaviors compared to non-medical students. Enhancing OHL among non-medical students may foster better oral health behaviors and improve overall oral health outcomes.
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