Abstract:

Objective: The study aimed to assess the relationship between health knowledge, demographic determinants, and dental caries intensity in adults.
Materials and methods: The study involved 100 patients aged 19 to 64 years. A structured questionnaire assessed sociodemographic factors and oral health knowledge. The DMFT+t index evaluates the incidence of dental caries in them.
Results: The интензитета на зъбния кариес, was high in participants with low oral health literacy (9.37 ± 3.17), followed by those with a satisfactory level of health knowledge (6.25 ± 2.53) and participants with a high level of health knowledge (4.73 ± 1.22). Participants’ age and gender were not significantly associated with health knowledge, in contrast to education (Rho= 0.818, p<0.001) and employment (Rho=−0.476<0.01), where a significant correlation was found.
Conclusion: A significant association between health knowledge with DMFT score was found in participants.

Keywords: Oral health literacy, parents, DMFT, children, demographic determinants.