Background: The objective of this study was to analyse the readability of paediatric oral health education leaflets\navailable in Australia.\nMethods: Forty paediatric oral health education materials were analysed for general readability according to the\nfollowing parameters: Thoroughness; Textual framework; Terminology; and Readability (Flesch-Kincaid grade level\n(FKGL), Gunning Fog index (Fog) and Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG)).\nResults: Leaflets produced by the industry were among the hardest to read with an average readability at the 8th\ngrade (8.4 �± 0.1). The readability of leaflets produced by the commercial sector was at the 7th grade (7.1 �± 1.7) and\nthe government at the 6th grade (6.3 �± 1.9). The FKGL consistently yielded readabilities 2 grades below the Fog and\nSMOG indexes. In the content analyses, 14 essential paediatric oral health topics were noted and Early Childhood\nCaries (ECC) was identified as the most commonly used jargon term.\nConclusion: Paediatric oral health education materials are readily available, yet their quality and readability vary\nwidely and may be difficult to read for disadvantaged populations in Australia. A redesign of these leaflets while\ntaking literacy into consideration is suggested.
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