Abstract
Background and Objectives: Recent evidence suggests that oral health is associated with various systemic diseases including psychiatric illnesses. This study examined the association between depression and access to dental care in Korean adults. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional evaluation was performed using data from the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014. The general characteristics of the participants, the current depression status, and issues with access to dental care were collected to evaluate the factors for not being able to make dental visits according to care needs. Results: The study population comprised a total of 5976 participants who were 19 years of age and older and represented 40.7 million Koreans. A multivariable logistic regression analysis with weighted observations revealed that participants with current depressive illness were about two times more likely to express that they could not make dental visits in spite of their perceived care needs (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.097; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.046–4.203). The reasons for not making dental visits included financial problems, perceived importance of the dental problem, and fear of visiting dental professionals. Conclusions: Korean adults with current depressive illness were less likely to make dental visits when they had dental care needs. To improve dental health accessibility for patients with depressive illness, coordinated efforts can be considered involving multidisciplinary health care professionals.
Highlights
As the World Health Organization described, oral health is a key indicator of overall health, well-being and quality of life [1], encompassing a range of oral and other systemic conditions.In recent years, evidence has suggested the relationship between periodontal disease and other chronic systemic diseases, including respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and even various types of cancers [2,3,4,5]
The mean age of the study population was 46.3 years, and the gender distribution was similar between males and females (49.4% and 50.6%, respectively, Table 1)
Generate real-world evidence that can be used in the decision-making processes for healthcare [35,36], Our findings indicated that depression was one of the barriers to dental care in the Korean population
Summary
As the World Health Organization described, oral health is a key indicator of overall health, well-being and quality of life [1], encompassing a range of oral and other systemic conditions.In recent years, evidence has suggested the relationship between periodontal disease and other chronic systemic diseases, including respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and even various types of cancers [2,3,4,5]. Recent studies strongly indicate that inflammatory and immunological responses triggered by oral bacterial biofilms may damage distant tissues or organ systems [6,7]. For these reasons, poor oral health can be a serious threat to overall health, and the importance of routine dental care is emphasized [8,9]. This study examined the association between depression and access to dental care in Korean adults. A multivariable logistic regression analysis with weighted observations revealed that participants with current depressive illness were about two times more likely to express that they could not make dental visits in spite of their perceived care needs (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.097; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.046–4.203)
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