Kim, Sun-Il;Par, Hyun-Kyung;Song, Ji-Na;Ko, Su-Youn;Kim, Hye-Jin
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Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between general characteristics and oral health behavior, oral health knowledge, and oral health literacy for adult workers. Methods: This study chose some adult workers located D City by convenience sampling method, and accepted those who understood the purpose of the study and agreed with a survey as subjects. The final study subjects were 297 except 24 with unsound questionnaires among a total of 321 questionnaires. The contents of a survey were demographic characteristics, oral health behavior, oral health knowledge, and oral literacy, and the survey was done by a self-administered questionnaire. Results: In the verbal oral health literacy distribution based on REALM standard of the subjects, a scale of 7-8, 45-60 points by score was the highest with 62.0%. In average monthly household income and oral health knowledge level of general characteristics, oral health literacy was statistically significant, and was statistically significant according to oral health literacy, monthly income of house hold, and marital status as well, and was statistically significant in oral health knowledge and oral health literacy level according to oral health behavior and in the oral health knowledge level depending on a regular checkup. And In experience existence and nonexistence of oral health education and understanding and misunderstanding of dentistry and dental health education, and main body of the decision of dental treatment, verbal oral health literacy of oral health knowledge and oral health literacy was significant. It can be seen that based on correlation among general characteristics, oral health knowledge level, verbal oral health literacy, and functional oral health literacy, there is a correlation among gender and education level, age and average monthly income, and age and marital status. Conclusions: This study presented the need for oral health literacy along with the oral health knowledge of oral health behavior affecting adult workers' oral health, and tried to establish the connection among them. Accordingly, it is thought that an improvement plan of oral health literacy for the prevention and promotion of adult workers' dental disease in the future.