Level of digital health literacy among dental students

Marcela Macedo de Freitas Oliveira; Jonatas Silva de Oliveira; Kildson Costa Gaudencio; Tarciana Maria Pereira de Lima; Carla Cabral dos Santos Accioly Lins

doi:10.1590/SciELOPreprints.18753

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Marcela Macedo de Freitas Oliveira Federal University of Pernambuco https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5157-5651
- Methodology
- Investigation
- Data Curation
- Formal Analysis
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
- Writing – Review & Editing
Jonatas Silva de Oliveira São Paulo State University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5704-5427
- Formal Analysis
- Validation
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Supervision
Kildson Costa Gaudencio Federal University of Pernambuco https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0040-1203
- Investigation
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
Tarciana Maria Pereira de Lima Federal University of Pernambuco https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9740-9536
- Investigation
- Data Curation
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
Carla Cabral dos Santos Accioly Lins Federal University of Pernambuco https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1018-5331
- Conceptualization
- Data Curation
- Methodology
- Project Administration
- Supervision
- Writing – Review & Editing

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.18753

Keywords:

Health literacy, internet use, students, dental, universities, digital public health

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the level of digital health literacy among dental students at the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, and to verify its association with sociodemographic characteristics and program cycle (basic or professional). Material and method: This cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative study was conducted between September 2024 and August 2025. Digital health literacy (DHL), refers to the ability to recognize and critically evaluate health information from different digital formats and sources. It assessed the participants with the eHealth Literacy Scale, composed of eight items with a total score of 8 to 40 points, classifying them into low, moderate, or high levels. The independent variables included sociodemographic data and program cycle (basic or professional). Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test and odds ratio calculation, with a 5% significance level. Result: The sample consisted of 325 students, of whom 56% had a moderate literacy level. The program cycle was significantly associated with the levels of digital health literacy (p<0.001). Students in the basic cycle had lower odds of having moderate (61.4%) or high (81.3%) levels of digital health literacy compared with those in the professional cycle. Conclusion: A significant portion of students had a moderate level of digital health literacy, and the program cycle was associated with the level of digital health literacy, showing that progression in academic training can contribute positively to DHL development.