Impacto da literacia e educação em saúde bucal na saúde bucal de crianças e adolescentes: uma revisão integrativa

Abstract

Health literacy corresponds to the individual's ability to access, understand, evaluate and apply information in health care. In dentistry, high levels of oral health education promote an improvement in quality of life, while low levels lead to dental problems and poor access to dental services. Therefore, parental oral health education directly influences the oral health of children and adolescents, indicating the need to implement health promotion programs, promoting better oral health behaviors. The present study aimed to conduct an integrative review, with the following question: do oral health literacy and education impact the oral health of children and adolescents? The bibliographic search was carried out in the PubMed and Scielo (Scientific Electronic Library Online) databases, with the following descriptors: “oral health education” AND “oral health literacy” AND “oral health” AND (adolescent OR school OR child). Observational and intervention studies that addressed oral health education and literacy in children and adolescents and that analyzed the impact of these actions on oral health and health knowledge were included, with 23 articles selected for this review. The data collected from the studies were extracted in spreadsheet format. The analysis of the 23 selected articles demonstrated that educational interventions such as school programs, home visits and sending digital messages (via WhatsApp) are effective in promoting behavioral changes in oral hygiene and care. The results showed that higher levels of oral health literacy among parents/guardians and children/adolescents are associated with lower levels of caries prevalence, periodontal diseases and better oral hygiene habits. It is concluded that oral health education is essential for promoting health and equity in dentistry.