Methods: Forty Australian paediatric oral health education materials from the industry, commercial and government organizations were analyzed for general readability according to the following parameters:
- Readability (Flesch-Kincaid grade level (FKGL), Gunning Fog index (Fog) and Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG))
- Thoroughness (inclusion of topics important to children’s oral health)
- Textual framework (use of pictures, bulleted text)
- Terminology (use of jargons)
Results: The readability showed a large variation from the 3rd grade to the 10th grade with an average of 7th grade (6.55±1.94). Leaflets produced by the Industry were among the hardest to read with an average readability at the 8th grade (8.47±0.05). The readability of leaflets produced by the commercial sector was at the 7th grade (7.06±1.70) and the government at the 6th grade (6.33±1.98). The FKGL consistently yielded readabilities 2 grades below the Fog and SMOG indexes. In the content analysis we identified 14 essential paediatric oral health topics.
Conclusions: Paediatric oral health education materials are readily available, yet their quality and readability vary widely. Our results show that a large number of paediatric dental leaflets may be difficult to read for disadvantaged populations in Australian. A redesign of these leaflets while taking literacy into consideration is required.