Oral Health Literacy Assessment: development of an oral health literacy instrument for Spanish speakers.

Objective: To develop an oral health literacy instrument for Spanish-speaking adults, evaluate its psychometric properties, and determine its comparability to an English version.

Methods: The Oral Health Literacy Assessment in Spanish (OHLA-S) and English (OHLA-E) are designed with a word recognition section and a comprehension section using the multiple-choice format developed by an expert panel. Validation of OHLA-S and OHLA-E involved comparing the instrument with other health literacy instruments in a sample of 201 Spanish-speaking and 204 English-speaking subjects.

Standardized method to produce tetracycline-stained human molar teeth in vitro.

Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that exposure of human molar teeth to tetracycline (TCN) derivatives in vitro results in tooth discoloration resembling the clinical presentation of TCN staining.

Method And Materials: The effects of exposure of 20 extracted human molar teeth to distilled water, chlortetracycline, doxycycline, or minocycline were compared. The baseline color of each tooth was analyzed with a dental spectrophotometer.

Comorbidity and early diagnosis of head and neck cancer in a Medicare population.

Background: This study assessed potential opportunities for an early diagnosis of head and neck cancers (HNCA), and the role played by comorbidity, among contacts by Medicare patients with the healthcare system before their diagnosis. Comorbidity was hypothesized to affect the relationship between use of healthcare services and stage of disease.

Methods: The study database (n =11,312) was constructed by linking files from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program 1991 through 1999 and those of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Program.