Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40396871›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe2026

Assessment of Oral Health Literacy and Influencing Factors: Retrospective Analysis of Patients Treated by Dental Students.

Alicia Maria Meyer-Hofmann, Anna Greta Barbe, Max von Kohout, Ghazal Aarabi, Isabel Deeg, Michael Jochen Wicht, Sonja Henny Maria Derman

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Article in European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Assessment of Oral Health Literacy and Influencing Factors: Retrospective Analysis of Patients Treated by Dental Students.European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Alicia Maria Meyer-HofmannFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Polyclinic for Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3296-7553
Anna Greta BarbeFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Polyclinic for Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0169-2582
Max von KohoutInstitute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Cologne, Germany.ORCID 0009-0006-7390-1557
Ghazal AarabiDepartment of Periodontics, Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, Center for Dental and Oral Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5484-2594
Isabel DeegFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Polyclinic for Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0306-5873
Michael Jochen WichtFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Polyclinic for Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4693-7184
Sonja Henny Maria DermanFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Polyclinic for Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2239-6010

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionOral health literacy (OHL) plays a crucial role in determining oral health outcomes, particularly in preventing and managing oral health issues. It is primarily developed through communication between dentists and patients-a key focus in dental education. To enhance this training, understanding OHL in student teaching is essential. This study aimed to assess OHL among patients undergoing treatment performed by dental students and identify influencing factors. MATERIALS AND

methodsThis retrospective analysis evaluated the Oral Health Literacy Profile (OHLP) of patients (≥ 18 years) treated by dental students in their fourth and fifth year. The OHLP measures oral health behaviour (OHB) and oral health knowledge (OHK) (scored 0-100). Patients were grouped by age and periodontal therapy status. Statistical analyses included ANOVA and linear regression modelling.

resultsA total of 222 questionnaires (106 females; mean age 56.8 ± 16.4 years) were analysed. The mean OHLP was 54.4 ± 16.1. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in OHB and OHK were observed between age groups: the lowest OHB was in younger adults (47.9 ± 18.9), while the highest OHB (63.4 ± 22.9) and lowest OHK (29.1 ± 22.9) were in older seniors; OHB scores were higher in periodontal patients. The regression model identified age, female gender, periodontal therapy, and OHK as significant predictors of OHB (R

conclusionSignificant gaps in OHL were revealed, particularly among males, younger adults, older seniors, and those not undergoing regular periodontal therapy. Students should receive specialised training to recognise these varying levels of oral health knowledge, behaviour, and influencing factors, enabling them to effectively address these issues during counselling.

Indexed as

Education, DentalHealth LiteracyOral HealthStudents, DentalAdultAgedFemaleHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSurveys and Questionnairescommunication skillsdental educationoral health behaviouroral health literacyperiodontal therapy

Identifiers

PMID40396871
PMCPMC13090426

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.