To identify gender- and age-related associations between adult dental checkups and unmet dental care needs, we analyzed data of 14,000 participants, from the Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2018). Data were collected via self-report questionnaires and interviews. The complex sample chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that 31.7% of participants had unmet dental care needs. Within the previous 12 months, 56.5% did not undertake dental checkups, and 29.3% did not use a dental service. Odds ratios (ORs) of the unmet dental needs were 8.87 (confidence interval (CI) = 7.80–10.09, p < 0.001) for those who did not use dental services and 1.28 (CI = 1.13–1.44, p < 0.001) for those who did not have dental checkups. Significant age-dependent associations between those not receiving dental checkups and the rate of unmet dental care included men and women aged 50–59 years and women ≥70 years. However, unmet dental care needs for men aged ≥70 years not undergoing dental checkups were not statistically significant (p = 0.311). Overall, it was found that the use of dental service and dental checkups were the influencing factors for unmet dental care needs.

Herein, using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006–2018), we evaluated denture use and chewing ability to determine the status of oral health in middle-aged adults who exercised regularly; further, we investigated the relationship of oral health with all-cause mortality. From the basic survey conducted in 2006, we interviewed 10,254 participants who were followed up until death. The participants were grouped based on regular exercise into REG (n = 3921) and non-REG (n = 6290) groups. The mortality rate was higher in the non-REG group than in the REG group (35.8% versus 26.9%; p < 0.001). The mortality rate was higher in denture users (versus non-denture users), non-drinkers (versus alcohol drinkers), and those on medical aid (versus national health insurance). The mortality rate was higher in participants with poor masticatory ability, lower education level, and poor subjective health perception (p < 0.001). Denture use and masticatory discomfort were not significant risk factors for mortality in the non-REG group (p > 0.05). In conclusion, masticatory discomfort was a risk factor for increased mortality in middle-aged Korean adults who exercised regularly, at least once a week. Thus, assessment of masticatory ability could be a useful indicator of life expectancy in middle-aged adults.

Objectives:The socio-economic expenses of supporting the elderly are increasing with the entry of a super-aged society. Accordingly, the demand for elderly care has increased rapidly, and the community care policy has been on the agenda in Korea due to the need for a review of health policies. The purpose of this study was to recognize the demand for elderly oral health educational media as a way of visiting oral healthcare based on community healthcare. Methods: A questionnaire survey was administered to 193 dental hygienists and health education managers from November 20 to December 10, 2020. We analyzed results with multiple response frequency analysis and chi-squared test analysis using the SPSS Windows version 20.0 (SPSS Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: As for types of media required for elderly oral healthcare education, the model utilization was the highest at 36.6%, followed by video at 31.8%, photo at 8.8%. As a result of survey on the necessary education contents, denture care was the highest at 22.8%, and periodontal tissue care at 21.1%, followed by halitosis control and oral prophylaxis. An appropriate operation time was found to vary depending on the education experience of participants and the status of elderly oral health project participation. The persons with educational experience judged the education for 20-30 min suitable at 48 (52.7%) while the persons with no educational experience judged the education for under 20 min suitable at 36 (76.6%) (<0.001). Conclusions:The oral healthcare education media for elderly showed the high demand on real materials, visual and auditory materials such as model utilization and video. And it seems that operation time and contents of oral healthcare education should be adjusted and performed depending on the status of elderly perception ability.