Many people delay and even skip visits to the dentist due to anxiety and fear. Now University of Florida researchers have discovered that difficulty understanding and using health information, a skill known as health literacy, is another key reason they avoid the dentist - a phenomenon that contributes to poor oral health in rural, low-income and vulnerable U.S. populations.

While race, gender, education, financial status and access to dental care are typically reported as risk factors for poor oral health, a team of UF Health researchers has demonstrated that a lack of health literacy also significantly contributes to poor oral health. The team, led by Yi Guo, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of health outcomes and policy, included researchers from the UF Southeast Center for Research to Reduce Disparities in Oral Health. They used a complex statistical model to evaluate patient-dentist communication and gain insight into the role that health literacy plays in the quality of the oral health in rural, low-income populations.

"Oral health is extremely important as it has been linked with major health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease," said Guo, who also noted that the burden of oral disease falls heaviest on rural, low-income Americans. "Our goal is to identify factors that could potentially help promote better oral health in our rural communities."