Combating misinformation

National advisory committee uses student video contest, other tools to promote health literacy

With health-related misinformation becoming more and more prevalent in today’s world, patients’ health literacy is more important than ever. Enter the National Advisory Committee on Health Literacy in Dentistry.

The group is composed of health literacy experts and practicing dentists who advise the ADA Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention. Its focus is on helping dentists and team members communicate with patients in a way that is clear and understandable, thus improving patients’ oral health literacy. ADA policy defines oral health literacy as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate oral health decisions. 

“Health literacy is a crucial defense against the spread of oral health misinformation because it allows us as clinicians to be confident that patients actually understand the information we share with them,” said Shailee Gupta, D.D.S., chair of the advisory committee. “Without strong health literacy abilities, individuals lack the skills to distinguish credible sources, leading to poor decisions about their oral health. Populations with lower health literacy — often due to language barriers, socioeconomic factors or education gaps — are more vulnerable to misinformation. Promoting health literacy promotes health equity by ensuring everyone has the tools to make informed decisions.”

The committee works with dental students to improve their patient communication skills before they even become dental professionals through its annual health literacy video contest. This year’s theme focuses on addressing misinformation on fluoride, X-rays, oil pulling, charcoal toothpaste and more.

“The health literacy video contest helps dental students build the skills and confidence they need to properly communicate oral health education, address misinformation and share credible resources with patients before they become practicing dentists,” Dr. Gupta said. “By participating in the contest, students can help fulfill their requirements related to patient understanding and become familiar with health literacy principles, such as the teach-back method and other literacy techniques focused on patient communication. They can begin to practice these communication skills in a fun and engaging way with their peers prior to graduating.”

The submission deadline for the contest, which is sponsored by Colgate, is Sept. 30.

The committee also works with allied health organizations to help educate nondental health professionals about oral health’s impact on overall health.

It developed a dental assessment tool for the National Association of School Nurses to assist with dental emergency triage and referrals. It also created a dental directory for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that describes a few common dental conditions and the types of dentists who treat them.

Committee members and ADA staff are also reviewing the literacy levels of information on wisdom tooth management and oral cancer guidelines included in point-of-care tools developed by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

“Even our medical colleagues want to know more about oral health, and the resources we develop need to be easily understood without being ‘heavy’ with technical jargon,” Dr. Gupta said.

Two committee members have also obtained grant funding to develop a national version of the California Oral Health Literacy Toolkit. The kit offers practical tools for improving oral health literacy in dental practices. It was developed by Health Research for Action, a research center of the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Public Health, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Oral Health.

“Dentists can support patients' efforts to improve their oral health by using strategies that make the dental office environment friendly and health care system easier to navigate,” Dr. Gupta said.

To access other health literacy resources and learn more about the student video contest, visit ADA.org.