Validation of the Hong Kong Oral Health Literacy Assessment Task for Paediatric Dentistry ( HKOHLAT ‐P)

Background Oral health literacy is a newly emerging field with considerable research potential. Aim To validate an original instrument, the H ong K ong Oral Health Literacy Assessment Task ( HKOHLAT ‐P) for paediatric dentistry. Design A convenient sample of 200 child/parent dyads attending a dental hospital in H ong K ong was selected. Convergent validity was tested by examining the association of HKOHLAT‐P scores with those derived from the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Dentistry ( TOFHL i D ) and H ong K ong Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry ( HKREALD ‐30). The predictive validity of HKOHLAT‐P was determined by testing the association between HKOHLAT‐P and children's caries experience (dmft) and the C hinese Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale ( ECOHIS ). The test‐retest reliability and internal consistency of HKOHLAT‐P were also evaluated. Results HKOHLAT‐P was positively correlated with TOFHL i D and HKREALD ‐30 ( P  < 0.01), and was negatively correlated with children's dmft and ECOHIS . In the regression model, HKOHLAT‐P was associated with TOFHL i D , HKEALD ‐30, children's dmft, and ECOHIS ( P  < 0.05) after controlling for participants' demographic characteristics. The intra‐class correlation coefficient of HKOHLAT‐P was 0.63 and the C ronbach's α was 0.71. Conclusion Initial testing of HKOHLAT‐P suggested that it is a valid and reliable instrument.