Health Research for Action—a research center of the University of California Berkeley’s School of Public Health—in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health Office of Oral Health developed this free toolkit for dental providers. The toolkit includes the following items:
- Oral Health Literacy in Practice. This 25-page guidebook gives an overview of oral health literacy and why it matters. It provides a roadmap that dental practices can use to assess and improve their health literacy practices. The guidebook gives tips for communicating clearly with and empowering patients. It also contains sample scripts and templates.
- Practice Assessment Checklist. This 2-page checklist helps dental practices identify their health literacy strengths. It also helps them spot opportunities for improvement.
- What Is Teach-Back? This 2-page tip sheet tells how to use the teach-back method in dental practices. It also includes scenarios to help providers practice their skills.
- Going to the Dentist. This 2-page (6-panel) brochure is meant for patients who are new to dental care. It tells them how to prepare for a dental visit and what to expect during the visit.
- Oral Health Literacy Action Plan. This 2-page worksheet helps dental practices set health literacy goals. It also helps them plan action steps for achieving these goals.