ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the variables affecting the survival of the four permanent central incisors in an adult Korean population using logistic regression analysis. METHODS: The Korean government has been collecting oral health data at the national level at 3-yearly intervals since 2000. In addition, a national survey was conducted in 2006 of 15,777 persons aged 2 to 95 years old who were stratified by age, gender, and region. The raw data were input and the relationship between each of eight objective variables and tooth survival was analyzed by frequency, crosstabulation, and logistic regression analysis, with age, gender, and economic status as functional variables. The inclusion level was alpha=0.05 and the exclusion level was alpha=0.10. The eight variables were age, economic status (jobs), monthly family income, gender, frequency of toothbrushing per day, presence of diabetes, education level, and smoking years. RESULTS: The survival rate of the incisors decreased with an increase in age, while that in individuals who engaged in farming, stock breeding, and fishing was 5 to 7 times lower than that in individuals in top positions in terms of jobs and society. Further, the survival rate in individuals with diabetes was 2 to 3 times higher than in those without diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The most significant predictor of the survival rate of the four permanent incisors in Korean adults was age, followed by economic status and presence of diabetes.