Factors Influencing Stress And The Impact Of Oral Health In Middle-Aged And Older Korean Population

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the factors related to stress and the impact of Oral health in the middle-aged and older Korean population.

Methods: The samples were derived from the data collected during the first year of the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The study targeted a total of 4,076 adults who were aged 40 years and more, and multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted. Chewing level and periodontitis were selected as the indicators of oral health.

Results: The prevalence of stress was 83.5%. and factors related to stress included gender, age, income, education, drinking alcohol, economic activity, number of household members, chewing difficulty, periodontitis. For chewing difficulty, the odds ratio (ORs) for stress in moderate and severe, compared to none, were 1.485 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.188–1.856) and 1.756 (95% CI, 1.353–2.280), respectively. The OR for periodontitis was 1.336 (95% CI, 1.069–1.669) compared to none.

Conclusion: Our study suggests that public health professionals should consider the socio-economic factors and oral health to manage the stress resulted in seriously threatening general health in the community.