10 - Oral Health Literacy, Knowledge, Practice, and Beliefs among Asian Americans: A scoping Review

Abstract:

Objectives:
This article aims to provide a scoping review of oral health literacy, knowledge, practice, and beliefs among Asian American (AsA) individuals in the United States.

Methods:
The review was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Our review included US-based studies published from January 1990 to May 2022. We searched through multiple databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL) using pre-determined eligibility criteria for 20 AsA groups based on US census data. Two reviewers independently viewed titles and abstracts for inclusion in the full review. We also examined whether translated instruments were assessed for reliability and validity.
Results
Of the 320 articles screened, 10 articles met our eligibility criteria. Of these, oral health literacy (n=1) was found to be lower among AsA compared to Whites, oral health knowledge (n=4) was associated with English ability and country of origin, and beliefs in certain groups of AsA were negatively associated with good oral health practices (n=6). Furthermore, only 6 of the studies translated the tools into the participants’ native language, and none of the translated tools were assessed for reliability and validity.
Conclusion
More research is needed to adequately understand and address oral health literacy among Asian Americans. Targeted interventions will be required to increase oral health literacy, knowledge, practice, and beliefs among different AsA subgroups.

Source of Funding: none