The relationship between subjective oral health and dental fear in Korean adolescents

BACKGROUND: This study is aimed to evaluate the level of fear and to reduce the overall fear, thereby enabling patients to receive treatment via timely visits. METHODS: In a survey conducted by 460 South Korean middle school students, we used 453 data that faithfully responded to the survey. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to investigate the factors influencing subjective oral health and dental fear. The significance level used for statistical significance was α = 0.05. RESULTS: The level of fear was higher for upper grade, female students. The factors affecting dental fear were higher for gingival bleeding and dental pain. Regarding factors for dental fear affecting subjective oral health, lower fear of puncture needle and tooth removal tool resulted in higher subjective oral health. CONCLUSION: The study found that adolescents had higher fear of dental care when they had gingival bleeding and tooth pain. Gingival bleeding is a symptom of early gingival disease and dental pain is likely due to advanced dental caries. These results suggested that it is necessary to have a program to reduce dental fear and anxiety as well as a program to prevent dental diseases through regular periodic screening and education.

A study on depressive symptoms and periodontal diseases / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the association between depressive symptoms and periodontal diseases in a representative group of adults. METHODS: A total of 4,892 subjects were included in the study. Periodontal disease was assessed using the Community Periodontal Index. The PHQ-9 scale was used to evaluate depression. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the Odds Ratio (OR) for periodontal disease with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 93.4 in the normal group (PHQ-9≤9) and 6.6 in the group with depressive symptoms (PHQ-9≥10). On dividing the group with depressive symptoms by gender, the OR for periodontal disease was 1.13 (95% CI=0.82-1.56). On dividing the normal group by gender and educational level, the OR was 0.96 (95% CI=0.69-1.34). Thus, no significant difference was found between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between depressive symptoms and periodontal diseases.

Association between cigarette smoking status and periodontal disease in adults: results from the 2012 Korea national health and nutrition examination survey / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between smoking status and periodontitis risk in Korean adults. METHODS: This study used data collected from the 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The final sample included 5,513 subjects over 19 years of age who had completed the necessary health behaviors survey and health examinations. RESULTS: First, based on a stratification analysis by gender, women who smoked more than 20 cigarettes daily had a 9.99-fold greater risk of periodontal disease than men. The risk of periodontal disease was higher in patients who began smoking at a later age. In patients with less than 20-40 lifelong smoking years, there was an increased risk of periodontitis, especially in men. Second, in a stratification analysis based on the presence of diabetes, patients with diabetes and a history of past smoking had a 2.53-fold higher risk of periodontal disease than non-smoking patients with diabetes. In both healthy and diabetic patients, the risk of periodontal disease increased with the daily smoking quantity and with age, and was also increased in individuals with less than 20-40 lifelong smoking years. The risk of periodontal disease was higher in the diabetes group overall, regardless of smoking status. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a high level of smoking can increase periodontal disease risk independently of sex and the presence of diabetes in Koreans. This study implies that smoking may be an independent risk factor for periodontal disease.

Risk factors of periodontal disease in Korean adults / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the risk factors for periodontal diseases in Korean adults. METHODS: In this study, raw data obtained from the third year of the 5th National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012) were used. The data were collected from 5,513 Korean adults, aged > or =19 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval in order to ascertain the factors influencing periodontal diseases. RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to verify the risk factors responsible for periodontal diseases in Korean adults in 2012. After all factors were adjusted for, the following were identified as the only risk factors for periodontal diseases: sex, age, income level, educational level, occupation, history of smoking and alcohol consumption, usual stress recognition level, diabetes, self-assessed oral health, and daily tooth brushing frequency. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study revealed that sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior and status, self-assessed oral health, and oral health were the factors that affect periodontal diseases.