Table 1. Bivariate comparison for the demographics, medical conditions, dental characteristics between caregivers with low and adequate levels of oral health literacy.
| Variables | All Subjects | Low OHL | Adequate OHL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | (< = 12) N (%) | (>12) N (%) | p-value* | |
| Total | 214 (100.0) | 111 (51.9) | 103 (48.1) | |
| Caregiver Characteristics | ||||
| Age in years | 42.68±8.02 | 43.3±8.78 | 42.01±7.10 | 0.242 |
| Less than 30 | 9 (4.2) | 6 (66.7) | 3 (33.3) | |
| 31–40 | 87 (40.7) | 42 (48.3) | 45 (51.7) | 0.351 |
| 41–50 | 85 (39.7) | 42 (49.4) | 43 (50.6) | |
| Greater than 51 | 33 (15.4) | 21 (63.6) | 12 (36.4) | |
| Relationship with the child | ||||
| Mother | 147 (68.7) | 69 (46.9) | 78 (53.1) | 0.033 |
| Father | 67 (31.3) | 42 (62.7) | 25 (37.3) | |
| Marital Status | ||||
| Married | 188 (87.9) | 94 (50.3) | 94 (50.0) | |
| Divorced/Widow | 26 (12.1) | 17 (65.4) | 9 (34.6) | 0.15 |
| Monthly Household Income (USD) | ||||
| Less than 1650 | 21 (9.8) | 9 (42.9) | 12 (57.1) | |
| 1650 to 3300 | 44 (20.6) | 22 (50.0) | 22 (50.0) | 0.684 |
| 3301 to 6600 | 89 (41.6) | 50 (56.2) | 39 (43.8) | |
| More than 6600 | 60 (28.0) | 30 (50.0) | 30 (50.0) | |
| Educational Level | ||||
| Less than high school | 83 (38.8) | 47 (56.6) | 36 (43.4) | |
| High School | 40 (18.7) | 15 (37.6) | 25 (62.5) | 0.075 |
| Bachelor | 70 (32.7) | 41 (58.6) | 29 (41.4) | |
| Master and above | 21 (9.8) | 8 (38.1) | 13 (61.9) | |
| Participant’s Demographics | ||||
| Age in years | 12.90±3.40 | 13.17±3.6 | 12.6±3.16 | 0.22 |
| 6–12 | 99 (46.3) | 49 (49.5) | 50 (50.5) | 0.306 |
| 13–21 | 115 (53.7) | 62 (53.9) | 53 (46.1) | |
| Gender | ||||
| Female | 51 (23.8) | 23 (45.1) | 28 (54.9) | 0.267 |
| Male | 163 (76.2) | 88 (54.0) | 75 (46.0) | |
| Participant’s Medical Condition | ||||
| ADHD/Intellectual Disability | 9 (4.2) | 5 (55.6) | 4 (44.4) | |
| Learning Disability | 3 (1.4) | 2 (66.7) | 1 (33.3) | |
| Muscular Dystrophy | 14 (6.5) | 4 (28.6) | 10 (71.4) | |
| Asthma | 15 (7.0) | 6 (40.0) | 9 (60.0) | |
| Autism / Cerebral Palsy | 11 (5.1) | 5 (45.5) | 6 (54.6) | |
| Hearing Difficulty | 21 (9.8) | 10 (47.6) | 11 (52.4) | |
| Physical Disability | 120 (56.1) | 71 (59.2) | 49 (40.8) | |
| Congenital Anomalies/Downs Syndrome | 17 (7.9) | 7 (41.2) | 10 (58.8) | |
| Metabolic Disorders | 4 (1.9) | 1 (25.0) | 3 (75.0) | |
| Caregivers perception of the severity of medical condition # | ||||
| Mild | 35 (18.8) | 14 (40.0) | 21 (60.0) | 0.402 |
| Moderate | 48 (25.8) | 26 (54.2) | 22 (45.8) | |
| Severe | 103 (55.4) | 53 (51.5) | 50 (48.5) | |
| Participant’s hospitalization history in the preceding year # | ||||
| None | 162 (85.7) | 81 (50.0) | 81 (50.0) | 0.679 |
| One or more times | 27 (14.3) | 15 (55.6) | 12 (44.4) | |
| Participant’s Dental Characteristics | ||||
| Last Dental Visit | ||||
| Within the last 6 months | 103 (48.1) | 53 (51.5) | 50 (48.1) | 0.494 |
| Between 6 months– 1 year | 63 (29.4) | 36 (57.1) | 27 (42.9) | |
| More than a year back | 48 (22.4) | 22 (45.8) | 26 (54.2) | |
| Reason for the previous dental visit | ||||
| Routine check-up | 80 (37.4) | 43 (53.8) | 37 (46.3) | 0.422 |
| Extraction | 32 (15.0) | 17 (53.1) | 15 (46.9) | |
| Restoration | 43 (20.1) | 24 (55.8) | 19 (44.2) | |
| Prophylaxis | 47 (22.0) | 24 (51.1) | 23 (48.9) | |
| Root canal treatment | 12 (5.6) | 3 (25.0) | 9 (75.0) | |
| Frequency of toothbrushing | ||||
| Less than twice daily | 90 (42.1) | 48 (53.3) | 42 (46.7) | 0.41 |
| Twice daily or more | 124 (57.9) | 63 (50.8) | 61 (49.2) | |
| Participant’s Dental Attitude # | ||||
| Positive | 126 (62.1) | 68 (54.0) | 58 (46.0) | 0.318 |
| Negative | 77 (37.9) | 36 (46.8) | 41 (53.2) | |
*Pearson Chi-square statistics.
# Missing values present.
OHL–Oral health literacy.