Assessing Dental Hygiene Students' and Community Caregivers' Knowledge of Strategies for Caries Prevention.

With dental caries being a common chronic disease in children and adults, oral health literacy is needed to improve oral health and prevent caries. If oral health providers themselves are confused about preventive strategies, they cannot effectively educate the public or other health care providers. The aim of this study was to assess University of Maryland dental hygiene students' understanding of and ability to communicate caries preventive strategies to low-income populations during a community service-learning program in 2013 and 2014.

Improving oral health literacy - the new standard in dental hygiene practice.

Oral diseases continue to burden a significant portion of the American public, especially those in low-income groups. The misconception that oral health is less important than general health exists among America's citizens even though it has been 13 years since the Surgeon General's report affirmed oral health as an essential component of general health. Research has shown that poor oral health literacy (OHL) affects oral health, can negatively influence quality of life and has a significant financial impact on society.