• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.601-614
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the present conditions and problems of oral health care in senior citizens with dementia using a qualitative research method, through focused group interviews. Methods: Data was collected for approximately one month from May 2019. The subjects were divided into two groups: care workers and family caregivers. Fifteen participants were included in the study. Results: In-depth interviews with the care workers revealed the following three categories: characteristics of senile dementia patients, oral health care in senile dementia patients, and oral health care education. In-depth interviews with the family caregivers revealed the following four categories: characteristics of senile dementia patients, oral health care in senile dementia patients, oral health care education, and burden of care. The central themes common to both the care workers and family caregivers were the challenges owing to the characteristics of senile dementia patients, poor health condition of the senile dementia patients, difficulty in oral health care of the senile dementia patients, the desire to receive oral health care education and related information, and to access the information more easily. Additional central themes specific to the care workers were, the applicability of the intervention programs, variability between the facilities, and the problems of oral health care education. An additional central theme specific to the family caregivers was the burden of care. Conclusions: It is necessary to provide oral health care education and information to care workers and family caregivers of senile dementia patients, and to manage and support the dental health professionals ready to care for senile dementia patients. In addition, support to the family caregivers should not be limited only to the financial aspects, but also consider the psychological and emotional difficulties.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.555-564
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate how mental health status affects oral health in the elderly. Methods: The subjects of the study provided the data for the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2013 to 2015. Four-hundred and twenty-one subjects were selected for the study. All data were analyzed by complex sampling frequency, chi-square test, and composite multiple regression analysis using SPSS 21.0 version. In addition, a significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results: The general factors affecting cases of periodontal disease were general characteristics, mental health status, oral health status, elderly males, household income, education level, daily brushing frequency, speaking, and stress. The effect of periodontal disease was 1.64 times higher in the male group than in the female group (p<0.001). In the household income level, the 'low' group had 1.91 times more periodontal disease, while the 'mid low' group had 1.64 times more periodontal disease than the 'high' group (p<0.05). Periodontal disease was found to be lower in the group that recognized subjective oral health status as 'good' (p<0.05). The study subjects had low levels of periodontal disease when there was no speaking difficulty (p<0.05). Conclusions: Therefore, in order to improve oral health of the elderly, it is necessary to understand the mental health condition of the elderly and prepare proper oral health education programs accordingly. Institutional devices for various oral health projects should be prepared, as well.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.731-742
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• 2019

Objectives: To analyze the association between sleep duration and the number of remaining teeth in people aged 65 years or older in order to provide basic data for improving sleep quality and developing oral health programs for teeth maintenance. Methods: The raw data for the analysis were obtained from the sixth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) dataset, conducted between 2013 and 2015. The 4,340 subjects included in the study underwent oral examinations and then proceeded to answer related questions. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (ver 23.0) program via composite samples, with the calculations for mean, standard deviation, chi-square test, and logistic return analysis being performed. Results: An analysis of the effect of sleep duration on the number of remaining teeth among people aged >65 years old showed that if the confounding variables were not corrected for, the risk of having less than 9 hours of sleep was 1.40 times higher (95% CI: 1.06-1.86). However, this was not statistically significant in models that corrected for gender, age, and other confounding variables (p>0.05). Conclusions: The association between sleep duration among the elderly with their number of remaining teeth was confirmed. Therefore, measures to improve sleep quality and oral care practices to maintain the remaining teeth in people over 65 years old should be developed.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.699-713
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the relationships of oral and systemic health-related characteristics with health-related quality of life (EQ-5D) in the elderly, and factors related to quality of life were compared according to age subgroups classified as either younger (young-old) or older (old-old) than 75 years of age. Methods: Data acquired by the Sixth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(KNHANES) from 2013 to 2015 were used, and the research target was 3,124 people aged 65 years or older. A complex samples general linear model was used to identify health-related quality of life factors. Results: Education, economic activity, depression, stress, regular walking, self-rated oral health, pronunciation problems, and unmet dental care had significant effects on quality of life in both young-old and old-old participants. Marriage, income, number of systemic diseases, sleeping, and chewing inconveniences were significant factors for the young-old but not in the old-old participants. Instead, obesity and drinking were identified as significant factors in the old-old participants. Conclusions: We reaffirmed that factors affecting health-related quality of life in older adults differed by age group. We also confirmed the impact of oral health-related characteristics on this quality. Therefore, to improve quality of life for older adults, it would be efficient to divide groups by age and develop and implement programs that take relevant factors into consideration.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.715-729
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to validate the moderating effect of oral health on the relationship between perceived health status and health-related quality of life in the elderly and to use this information as primary data to suggest oral health policies for the aged society. Methods: This study included 3,707 subjects aged over 65 years who answered all the variables used in the study model and completed the health questionnaire and screening survey based on the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Baron & Kenny's linear regression analysis using SPSS 22.0 and SPSS Macro Version 3.1 programs was performed to confirm the moderating effect of the number of remaining natural teeth, chewing difficulty, and cardiovascular disease on the relationship between perceived health status and healthrelated quality of life in the elderly. Results: The number of remaining natural teeth, chewing difficulties, and cardiovascular diseases affected the perceived health status of the elderly. As the number of remaining natural teeth increased, the effect of perceived health status on the quality of life in the elderly was buffered. The effect of perceived health status on the quality of life increased with chewing difficulties and the number of cardiovascular diseases. In particular, it was confirmed that chewing difficulties, rather than the number of cardiovascular diseases. had a greater effect on the quality of life in the elderly. Conclusions: Oral health policies and projects are required to ensure oral rehabilitation with dentures and implants and restore chewing function to improve the quality of life of the elderly in Korea.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.79-91
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to contribute to the development of an oral hygiene care program for patients with dementia by understanding the oral care status and oral health knowledge of care workers and caregivers with regard to patients with dementia. Methods: For about two months from May to June 2018, a survey of care workers and caregivers working in long-term nursing homes and elderly-specialized nursing hospitals was performed, and 442 people were selected for the final analysis. The frequency and percentage were calculated to understand the oral care status and oral health knowledge regarding patients with dementia, and an independent t-test was conducted to determine the difference between the elderly oral health knowledge of care workers and caregivers. Multiple regression analysis was also carried out to examine factors affecting elderly oral health knowledge. Results: With respect to the factor of oral health education in elderly oral health knowledge, oral health knowledge was shown to be highest when participants responded that education was unnecessary (p<0.001), and regarding the will to participate in oral health education, oral health knowledge was highest when participants responded as having no desire to participate (p<0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest that a standard manual should be developed for the accurate and qualitative management of oral hygiene care tasks performed by care workers and caregivers who are in charge of oral care for patients with dementia in order to provide continuous and systematic oral care.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.65-78
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• 2019

Objectives: This study was conducted to characterize the impact of cognitive function and oral health status on mastication in senior citizens, ${\geq}65$ years of age, using senior centers in the city of Wonju, South Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional study consisting of a simple oral examination and survey questionnaires was performed in 154 individuals. General characteristics, subjective masticatory function, objective masticatory function, cognitive function, and oral health status were collected as variables. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. A p-value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The subjective masticatory function was scored using the 5-point Likert scale. When subjective masticatory function was analyzed in groups according to cognitive function, the mean subjective masticatory function scores were 4.31, 4.09, and 3.29 in the normal group (cognitive score of ${\geq}16$), suspected dementia group (cognitive score of 1215), and mild dementia group (cognitive score of ${\leq}11$), respectively. Thus, subjective masticatory function decreased along with decreasing cognitive function. When cognitive function, subjective masticatory function, and objective masticatory function were compared with indicators of oral health status (number of functional teeth, oral dryness), subjective masticatory function exhibited a significant positive correlation with objective masticatory function (r=0.635, p<0.01), cognitive function (r=0.292, p<0.01), and total number of functional teeth, including prosthetic appliances (dentures) (r=0.305, p<0.01). According to the regression analysis, age, sex, number of functional teeth, and cognitive function affected subjective masticatory function. Conclusions: The results of this study revealed that age, sex, number of functional teeth, and cognitive function affected subjective masticatory function, whereas oral dryness did not. Therefore, dental professionals must consider subjective masticatory function when providing oral care in senior patients with low cognitive function.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2022

Objectives: This study investigated the influence of oral exercise programs with whole-body exercises on the mental health of the elderly. Methods: Elderly individuals aged 65 years or older were assigned to an experimental group and a control group. Oral exercises with whole-body exercises were conducted in the experimental group for 40 minutes, twice weekly, during 5 weeks from May to June 2021. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, the oral health related quality of life (OHIP-14, GOHAI), mental health, happiness, and social support of the elderly were explored both before and after the execution of the program in the experimental group. A paired sample t-test was performed to check the changes in the factors investigated, both before and after the execution of the program in the two groups. Results: The values of difference between the experimental and control group were compared in relation to the dependent variables, before and after the execution of the oral exercise program with the whole-body exercises. It was found that statistically significant differences in the OHIP-14 (p=0.163), GOHAI (p=0.156), and feelings of happiness in the elderly (p=0.280) were not evident in the experimental group. However, statistically significant differences emerged with regard to the mental health and provision of social support of the elderly (p<0.05). Conclusions: It was found that the oral exercise program with whole-body exercises executed in this study were effective in improving the mental health and social support of the elderly. However, no significant differences were shown in oral health relating to quality of life and feelings of happiness. It is considered that these findings need to be verified by means of future long-term studies.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 2023

Objectives: This case study was conducted to assess the changes in the oral health status of older individuals with hearing and visual impairments through home oral health care based on community care. Methods: The participants were two older adults with hearing and visual impairments. Through home visits, an oral health intervention program, including oral hygiene care and training on strengthening of oral function, was conducted once a week for 5 months. Dental hygienists performed special oral health interventions such as dental plaque control through individual tooth brushing and interdental care, training on strengthening of intraoral and extraoral muscle function, and denture care for the individuals with visual-hearing impairments. Results: The overall periodontal health status and oral muscle function improved in older adults with hearing and visual impairments. In the case of the visually impaired individuals, changes in the oral health status were oral mucosal moisture (30.1 and 37.2 points before and after intervention, respectively), salivary secretion (3.5 and 4.0 cm before and after intervention, respectively), and maximum tongue pressure (20.5 and 26.2 kPa before and after intervention, respectively). Changes in the oral health status of the hearing impaired individuals increased from 28.3 points before the intervention to 38.4 points after the intervention, and the maximum tongue pressure increased from 1.85 kPa to 23.5 kPa after the intervention. Conclusions: Oral health intervention activities contributed to improving the periodontal health and oral function of older adults with hearing and visual impairments. To improve their overall and oral health, it is necessary to prepare measures to activate customized oral health intervention programs.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2024

Objectives: The demand for dental care is expected to increase as the population ages. This study aimed to predict the utilization of dental implant care following the expansion of national health insurance benefits for dental implants. Methods: Multiple linear regression analysis was performed on HIRA big data open portal data and DNN-based artificial intelligence models to forecast the utilization of dental care in relation to the national health insurance coverage for dental implants. Results: National health insurance coverage of dental implants was found to be associated with the number of patients using dental implant services and demonstrated a statistical significance. The dental implant services utilization increased with the increased dental implant health insurance benefits for the elderly population, increased mean by region, increased number of dental institutions by region, and increased health insurance coverage rate for dental implants. However, the dental implant services utilization decreased with the increased number of older people living alone and increased size of dental institutions. Conclusions: With the expansion of the national health insurance coverage for dental implants, it is predicted that the utilization of dental implant medical services will increase in the future.