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Assessment of eHealth Literacy and Its Association with Oral Health Behavior Among Outpatients of a Dental College in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross-Sectional Study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background/Objectives: Digital platforms have increased access to health information. The eHEALS scale evaluates individuals’ capabilities for accessing, assessing, and assimilating health information to help them make well-informed oral health decisions. It would be interesting to examine the association with oral health behavior (OHB), as digital platforms are increasingly seen as a “super social determinant”. Hence, the present study aimed to assess eHealth literacy levels and their association with oral health behaviors among dental outpatients at a dental college in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using the eHEALS questionnaire was conducted after translation into Arabic, with additional questions on oral health behaviors. The internal consistency of the translated questionnaire was good. A total of 213 patients were recruited from the dental college’s outpatient department. Chi-square, followed by multinomial regression, was used in the statistical analysis. Results: The mean total eHEALS score in the sampled population was 26.17 (±7.5) of the 213 participants, with 108 (50.7%) having good oral health behavior practices. The elderly age group (OR 2.67, p = 0.01, CI 1.25–5.68), school-level education (OR 2.82, p = 0.03, CI 1.41–5.66), and low monthly family income (OR 2.53, p = 0.01, CI 1.25–5.11) were significantly associated with inadequate eHealth literacy. Participants with good oral health behavior had significantly lower odds of being categorized into inadequate (OR 0.41, p = 0.01, CI 0.20–0.81) or problematic (OR 0.43, p = 0.01, CI 0.22–0.85) levels of eHealth literacy. Conclusions: There is a significant association between eHealth literacy and individuals’ oral health behavior practices. Age, monthly family income, and education were key predictors of eHealth literacy levels.

Source: Applied Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/app16031394