Impact of Oral Health Literacy and COVID-19 Induced Anxiety on Dentistry Visits of the Iranian Public

 High levels of stress and fear of COVID-19 infection in high-risk places negatively affect visiting hygiene professionals and receiving health services including dentistry. This study was conducted with the aim to determine the impact of COVID-19 induced anxiety and Oral Health Literacy (OHL) on dental services during COVID-19 pandemic in the general population in Iran.

 This online cross-sectional study was performed on 307 individuals (244 women and 63 men) using convenient sampling method, at the time of COVID-19 outbreak (October and November 2021) in Tehran city. A demographic characteristics form, the COVID-19 Induced Anxiety Scale (CIAS) (Riad et al., 2021), and the Oral Health Literacy Questionnaire (OHLQ) (Naghibi Sistani et al., 2013) were used to collect data with items related to the rate and reasons for visiting/not visiting dentists. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Pearson correlation test in SPSS software.

 The results revealed no significant differences between those who had and those who had not had dental visits in terms of COVID-19 induced anxiety (P > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of OHL (P ≤ 0.05). In addition, no significant correlation was found between OHL and COVID-19 anxiety (P > 0.05).

 Notwithstanding the risk of Corona virus transmission in offices/clinics, higher levels of OHL caused more desire to use dentistry services in the public.