Knowledge and oral health literacy in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review

Abstract

Knowledge has a direct relationship with oral health. Since the oral health of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is affected by their blood sugar levels; therefore, the present systematic study was conducted to examine oral health literacy in patients with T2DM. Studies conducted in this field were searched in reliable scientific databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science Core, Inform it Health Databases, Scopus, Google Scholar, ProQuest, PsycINFO and DoPHER, and were selected based on the study inclusion criteria and the main purpose of the research in 2022. As a result, among 6572 reviewed articles, 15 articles were included in the study. A number of 8642 patients with T2DM with an average age of 52.7 years were examined. The total awareness of these people with T2DM regarding oral health literacy was 48%. Pacients’ oral health knowledge was investigated, which was about 43% in men and 58% in women. In 9 studies of patients with diabetes, oral health literacy was less than 50%. In 6 studies, it was observed that the level of oral health knowledge was higher than 50%, and a significant correlation was observed between patients with T2DM and their level of oral health literacy. City residents had higher oral health literacy. In conclusion, oral health literacy in people with T2DM was generally low and needed more attention. Some factors, such as urban life, access to the Internet and virtual space, as well as the gender of persons with T2DM, were effective on the level of oral health literacy.