Validation for Brazilian Portuguese language of the Hong Kong Oral Health Literacy Assessment Task for Paediatric Dentistry (BOHLAT‐P).

Background: Oral health literacy (OHL) is associated with oral health outcomes. Aim: To validate the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Hong Kong OHL Assessment Task for Paediatric Dentistry (HKOHLAT‐P). Design: We performed cross‐cultural adaptation of the HKOHLAT‐P. A sample of 200 pre‐schoolers and caregivers from Campina Grande, Brazil completed the Brazilian HKOHLAT‐P (BOHLAT‐P), sociodemographic questionnaire, the Brazilian Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B‐ECOHIS), and the Brazilian Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD‐30). Child dental caries was assessed. Instrument reliability was measured by internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and test‐retest (ICC). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) evaluated dimensionality. Regression models tested associations between BOHLAT‐P and exploratory variables (P <.05). Results: BOHLAT‐P demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92; ICC = 0.95). BOHLAT‐P and BREALD‐30 scores (r =.71), number of schooling years (r =.60), and reading hours (r =.34) were positively correlated. BOHLAT‐P and B‐ECOHIS scores (r = −.22), and BOHLAT‐P scores and number of cavitated teeth (r = −.15) were negatively correlated. After controlling for confounding variables, BOHLAT‐P scores were not associated with caries or number of teeth with cavitated caries. Conclusion: BOHLAT‐P is a valid and reliable instrument to assess the OHL of Brazilian parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]