Introduction — Oral Health Literacy

Oral Health Literacy: Hope for Better Understanding

Lindsey A. Robinson, DDS

As we all know too well, this country is grappling with an unprecedented public health crisis that has upended all segments of society and changed the way people go about their daily lives. At this writing, the number of COVID-19 cases are rising exponentially in 36 states. Reliable, clear and timely communication is especially crucial in this time of uncertainty where people have been inundated with volumes of information about the virus. Sifting through and identifying what is accurate, nascent and applicable has become overwhelming for many. As our knowledge of the SARS-CoV-2 virus expands, it is incumbent upon health care providers to create a safe space to deliver clinical care, help people assess their individual health risks and understand how to prevent the spread of disease.

The issue begins with a thorough discourse on the federal initiative called Healthy People (HP) written by members of the HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee. It begins at inception with the landmark 1979 “Healthy People: The Surgeon General’s Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention” with the goal of developing a set of evidencebased, measurable objectives to improve the health of the nation. The article goes on to describe the soon to be released 2030 iteration, which incorporates oral health into the framework and, for the first time, health literacy to promote progress toward the HP 2030 goals.

The next offering is by retired ADA Manager of Preventive Health Services, Sharee R. Clough, RDH, MS Ed. “American Dental Association: Advancing Health Literacy Within and by the Dental Profession” provides an update on the “National Plan to Improve

Health Literacy in Dentistry” developed by the ADA-supported National Advisory Committee on Health Literacy in Dentistry established nearly a decade ago. Over the years, the association has made great progress in addressing plan goals as reflected in numerous policies adopted and support of cross-cutting activities that guide the profession’s efforts to improve the oral health literacy of the nation.

In “Health Literacy: A Path to Oral Health Equity,” Homa Amini, DDS, MS, MPH, and James R. Boynton, DDS, MS, describe how oral health professionals can work at both the systems and individual levels to obtain health equity by utilizing health literacy principles. They remind the reader that social determinants have a critical influence on health outcomes and are drivers of health inequities between groups of people.

California State Dental Director Jayanth Kumar, DDS, MPH, offers his perspective on improving oral health literacy in California through several initiatives from the State Department of Oral Health. One initative is a toolkit aimed to assist dental providers in communicating with patients and caregivers on oral health promotion and the reduction of dental diseases, which was developed in collaboration with Linda Neuhauser, DrPH, MPH, of Berkeley’s Health Research for Action.

Finally, this author provides background on the Health Literacy Roundtable, under the umbrella of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and the important contributions the field of oral health has made to it over the years. They include development of the Dental Collaborative that led to a commissioned paper and workshop focused on exploring the integration of oral and general health through the use of health literacy practices. Both the commissioned paper and workshop proceedings are examples of the influence the field of oral health brings to ongoing national conversations on improving the health of the nation.

My sincere appreciation goes to the authors who are all passionate champions of oral health literacy and willingly gave their time and expertise to bring this Journal issue to fruition. They exhibited great patience as the publication date shifted to accommodate a variety of needs and issues related to the pandemic. Special thanks go to Dushanka V. Kleinman, DDS, MS, and Alice M. Horowitz, PhD, for spearheading the manuscript that comprehensively captures the 2030 HP Initiative and to other Advisory Committee members who contributed to it.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” This quote by George Bernard Shaw speaks to how health literacy is foundational to ensure mutual understanding and improves the ability of people to act on information that makes it easier to access, understand and use health information and health services. The dental profession and greater oral health community must continue to find and invest in opportunities to articulate that oral health is critical to optimizing the health and well-being of all people.

GUEST EDITOR Lindsey A. Robinson, DDS, is a board-certified pediatric dentist and has maintained a dental practice in Grass Valley, Calif., since 1996. She received her certificate in pediatric dentistry from the University of Florida and dental degree from the University of Southern California. Dr. Robinson is a past president of the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry and the California Dental Association (CDA) and served as chair of the CDA Foundation. She was a member of the American Dental Association Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations (now called CAAP) for six years, and during her tenure served as chair for two years. Dr. Robinson has served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy as an oral health representative since 2013. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.