Abstract
BACKGROUND: High levels of oral health literacy (OHL) and appropriate health-seeking behaviors are required for oral health and general well-being. This study aims to determine the level of OHL and health-seeking behavior in a multicenter setting. METHODS: The population of this cross-sectional research consists of people aged 18-65 years residing in Sultanbeyli, Fatih and Eyüpsultan districts. Sultanbeyli has the lowest, Eyüpsultan the middle, and Fatih has a high socio-economic development index. The questionnaire includes sociodemographic questions, questions related to oral hygiene and care habits, dental visit history. The second section includes the Oral and Dental Health Literacy Scale (ODHLS) and the Health-Seeking Behavior Scale (HSBS). The HSBS dimensions are online health-seeking behavior, professional health-seeking behavior, and traditional health-seeking behavior. The four dimensions of the ODHLS are Comprehension/Understanding, Support, Economic Barriers, and Service Use. For both scales, higher scores indicate a higher level of the relevant condition. RESULTS: The data of 839 participants were analyzed in the study. The total ODHLS and HSBS scores were significantly higher in the Fatih district compared to the Eyüpsultan and Sultanbeyli districts, among individuals under the age of 40 years, and those with a higher education level (p < 0.05). Individuals who used interdental brushes or dental floss and those who brushed their teeth 2-4 times a day had significantly higher ODHLS and HSBS scores (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between the total ODHLS score and its dimension scores (except for the Support dimension) and the total HSBS score (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The positive correlation between the OHL score, the total health-seeking behavior score, and the online health-seeking behavior score, indicating that as oral health literacy increases, individuals are more likely to engage in health-seeking behaviors in general, particularly through online sources. Several public health strategies can be proposed to improve oral health literacy and promote appropriate health-seeking behaviors.