Critically Appraisal of Tools to Measure using the COSMIN Checklist

Purpose: Oral health literacy tools are important for assessing a population’s oral health knowledge and awareness. The objective of this study was to critically appraise the methodology used for developing all the existing oral health literacy assessment tools, by systematically reviewing the available evidence.

Materials & Method: Databases used for the search were Wiley, BMJ open, Pub Med/Medline and Science Direct. We identified 10 studies, published in English during 2006-2016, that focused on the development and validation of oral health literacy tools. We then assessed these studies using the COSMIN checklist, which evaluates the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties.

Results: Most of the tools were adapted from the general health literacy tool. All the 10 tools had measured validity and reliability, but lacked cross-cultural validity.

Conclusion: Findings from this review confirm that majority of the tools focus towards assessment of word recognition, numeracy and reading skills, rather than indicative of aspects such as health behaviors and service utilization. Developing tools that are adapted for specific populations will require further work, such as incorporating tests to ensure their acceptability and cultural competence.