• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.485-492
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to identify factors related to unmet dental care needs among Korean youth, enhance the utilization of dental services by adolescents, furnish basic data for youth-oriented dental projects, and improve access to medical care. Methods: The analysis utilized combined data from the basic and oral databases from the 6th (2013-2015), 7th (2016-2018), and 1st year of the 8th (2019) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Results: The factors influencing unmet dental care needs were gender, age, household income level, and health insurance. Statistically significant results were observed in relation to the type of dental clinic, recent visits to a dental hospital, experiences of toothache within the past year, subjective oral health status, occurrences of permanent dental caries, and engagement in orthodontic treatment. Conclusions: When formulating future national policies and projects, it is imperative to consider the factors and underlying reasons for the unmet dental care needs of adolescents. It is also necessary to establish oral health policies and institutional measures tailored to the dental care of adolescents.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.221-229
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to identify the convergence factors affecting the unmet health needs of the indigent elderly. The data the study is the Korean medical panel of 2011 and the parameters belonging to each factors were selected based on the Anderson model. We analyzed the general characteristics using frequency analysis and the correlations between variables using cross analysis. Finally, logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the factors affecting unmet health needs. The indigent elderly with no education and elementary school graduates were 1.5 times more likely to experience unmet health needs than the poverty elderly with high school graduates. The indigent elderly who does not work for income, who were employers and self-employeds were 1.5 times more likely to experience unmet health care need than unpaid family workers. The indigent elderly with disabilities in activites of daily living were 2.9 time more likely to experience unmet health care needs than the indigent elderly with no disability in activites of daily living. The results of this study confirm that the increase in the economic burden of medical care for the indigent elderly can lead to the unmet health needs.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.184-194
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• 2019

Background: The extent of coverage rate of the public health insurance is still insufficient to meet healthcare needs. Private health insurance (PHI) plays a role to supplement coverage level of national health insurance in Korea. It is expected that reduce unmet need healthcare. This study was aimed to identify relationship between PHI type and the unmet healthcare need and its associated factors. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2014 Korea Health Panel Survey using nationally representative sample was analyzed. Respondents were 8,667 who were adults over 20 years covered by PHI but have not changed their contract. According to the enrollment form, PHI was classified into three types: fixed-benefit, indemnity, and mixed-type. To identify factors associated with unmet needs, multiple logistic regression conducted using the Andersen model factors, which are predisposing factors, enabling factors, and need factors. Results: Our analysis found that subjects who had PHI with mixed-type were less likely to experience unmet health care needs compared than those who did not have it (odds ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.98). As a result of analyzing what affected their unmet healthcare needs, the significant factors associated with unmet medical need were gender, marital status, residence in a metropolitan area, low household income, economic activity participation, self-employed insured, physically disabled, low subjective health status, and health-risk factors such as current smoking and drinking. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that having PHI may reduce experience of unmet healthcare needs. Findings unmet healthcare needs factors according to various subjects may be useful in consideration of setting policies for improving accessibility to healthcare in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.81-93
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• 2015

This study investigated the prevalence of unmet needs for health care among Korean adults and related factors. Using data from the 2012 Korea Health Panel, 1,896 adults aged 65 and over and two age groups(Young-Old(66-74) and Old-Old($65{\leq}$)) were analyzed to identify these factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the main factors associated with unmet medical needs. According to the results of this study, the factors influencing unmet medical needs with regard to economic factors were Subjective Health Status(young-old), Disability(young-old), Activity Limitation(young-old), Education Level(old) and Economic Activity(old). The factors influencing unmet medical needs were factors of attitude, information, and disease. factors were Disability(young-old), Activity Limitation(young-old), Education Level(old) and Economic Activity(old). Therefore, further research that investigates unmet needs depending on age group in the elderly would suggest helpful policy implications.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.182-187
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• 2018

As the elderly population increases, they are increasingly affected by oral health problems. Therefore, efforts are being made to improve the oral health of older people, alleviate mental discomfort, and reduce unmet dental needs. This study was conducted to confirm the relationship between the National Health Insurance Elderly Denture Coverage and the unmet dental need for the edentulous elderly, as part of the protection policy. We analyzed the 2011 and 2013 Community Health Survey data of the edentulous elderly, aged 75 years or older, before 2012. In order to more precisely confirm the effects of the denture donation policy on unmet dental care, basic life recipients who were subject to the free elderly prosthetic project were excluded from the analysis. The final analysis included 20,400 subjects. According to our investigation of the factors that affect the unmet dental needs of the elderly, the National Health Insurance Elderly Denture Coverage did not affect unmet dental needs. The statistically significant variables that affected the unmet dental needs of the elderly were education and income levels, which are representative socioeconomic status variables. The lower the level of education, the unhealthier the dental care experience, and income levels showed a similar tendency. The elderly who have a low socioeconomic status are more likely to experience unmet dental needs because they lack the knowledge and socioeconomic ability to pay for dental care. Therefore, the policy for health protection of the entire elderly population should be continuously expanded. In addition, the socioeconomically vulnerable groups may have health problems due to the restriction of medical use, which may lead to quality of life deterioration.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.581-591
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• 2020

Objectives: Oral diseases can be prevented, and early treatment through dental checkups is important. This study was investigated the relationship between dental checkups and unmet dental care needs in Korean adults. Methods: From the data of the 7th Korean national health and nutrition survey (2016-2017), the final 9,300 of the 16,277 participants selected as the method for extracting stratified colonies by complex sample design. A structured questionnaire interview was used, and chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed. Results: The relationship between dental checkups and unmet dental care needs for the last one year was analyzed by controlling demographic characteristics, variables related to health conditions, and "use of dental clinics for the last year." The unmet dental care needs were 7.57 times higher (CI: 6.49-8.83) for non-users of dental clinics for 1 year, and 1.32 times (CI: 1.13-1.54) for dental checkups for 1 year compared to non-dental checkups patients. Conclusions: As described above, there was a close relationship between adult dental checkups and unmet dental care needs. Therefore, it is suggested that it is necessary to expand educational publicity and prepare policy strategies such as visiting dental checkups to improve the adult dental checkups.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral Health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.267-273
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• 2017

Objectives: Unmet needs for dental treatment are one of the potential contributing factors to poor oral health because oral health problems worsen if left untreated. This study aimed to demonstrate the prevalence of and the causes for unmet dental needs, and to evaluate the association between unmet needs for dental treatment and oral health status. Methods: Data on 3,883 subjects aged ${\geq}18years$ from the Korean National Oral Health Survey 2006 were analyzed. Information regarding unmet needs for dental treatment was obtained using standardized questionnaires. Eight trained dentists examined decayed, missing, or filled teeth (DMFT). Multiple regression models were built to assess the association between unmet needs for dental treatment and the DMFT scores. Results: The prevalence of perceived unmet needs for dental treatment was 34.7% among the adult Korean population. Economic constraints were the main cause (38.6%) for unmet dental needs. The average DMFT scores were higher in the subjects with unmet needs for dental treatment than in those without. In individuals with unmet needs for dental treatment within the past 1 year, the number of decayed teeth after adjusting for confounders was likely to be greater by 0.58 and that of missing teeth by 0.27 compared to that in their counterparts with no unmet dental needs in the past 1 year. Conclusions: Perceived unmet needs for dental treatment were significantly associated with poor oral health status among the adult Korean population. Further studies are needed to clarify the direct and indirect effects of unmet needs for dental treatment on an individual's oral health status by investigating critical variables of the causal pathways among perceived dental needs, dental care utilization, and oral health status.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.117-129
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of demographic characteristics and oral health status on unmet dental needs among preschool children and to provide a basis for improvement of the dental care equality and accessibility using data from the $6^{th}$ National Health and Nutrition Survey. Methods: This study was performed using data collected from the $6^{th}$ National Health and Nutrition Survey. The subjects were 1,472 out of 22,940 people, who participated in the survey and under went oral examination. IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 20.0) was used for statistical analyses based on the complex sampling design. Frequency analysis was performed to determine the distribution of unmet dental needs according to the characteristics of the subjects. The Rao-Scott ${\chi}^2$ test was performed to examine the relationship of unmet dental needs with general characteristics and health- and oral health-related variables. Relevant factors were determined using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The factors that had statistically significant relations with unmet dental needs included age, medical insurance, household income, limited physical activity, history of dental caries in deciduous teeth, and subjective health status. Logistic regression analysis of complex samples was conducted to determine factors related to unmet dental needs. The results of analysis showed that limited physical activity and history of dental caries in deciduous teeth were related to unmet dental needs. Conclusions: The results show the factors affecting, and the reasons for, the unmet dental needs of preschool children. Future studies are needed to develop national projects and oral health education reforms to address inequalities in preschool children's dental care.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.911-920
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• 2018

Objectives: This study investigated the relationship between demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the Korean elderly and their unmet dental care needs, by using the 2015 data from the $6^{th}$ Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods: In total, 1,372 elderly persons aged 65 and over, who responded to the $6^{th}$ NHANES, were included in the final analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed in order to identify any relationship between demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and unmet dental care needs. Results: The rate of unmet dental care needs was shown to be less by 0.799 times in the elderly who reside in dong than those who live in eup and myeon (OR: 0.799, 95% CI: 0.679-0.959). Unmet dental care needs were higher in participants with 'low' and 'below average' than 'above average' income, by 1.645 times (OR: 1.645, 95% CI: 1.087-2.366) and 1.172 times (OR: 1.172, 95% CI: 1.108-1.880), respectively. Elderly individuals living alone had a higher rate of unmet dental care needs than those living with their family by 1.157 times (OR: 1.157, 95% CI: 1.084-1.498). Conclusions: Demographic and socioeconomic factors influenced unmet dental care needs, causing inequality. Proper policy support to the vulnerable should be considered in order to enhance the elderly's access to dental care.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.93-103
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify unmet healthcare needs among man and woman one-person households and to explore related factors by gender. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The final sample consisted of 820 one-person households. The statistical analysis, conducted in SPSS version 20.1, included complex sampling analysis; descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and logistic regression. Results: The demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of women in one-person households were significantly different from those of men in one-person households. Women in single-person households were mainly in their 70s or older and married, and they tended to have a low education level, low income, and no formal occupation. Unmet healthcare needs were experienced by 17.3% of women in one-person households and 13.5% of men in one-person households, which was not a statistically significant difference (χ²=2.17, p=.139). Factors related to unmet healthcare needs were subjective health status and unmet dental care needs in single-person-household men. By contrast, having experienced impairment within the past year, stress, and unmet dental care needs were factors related to unmet healthcare needs in single-person-household women. Conclusion: As one-person households become increasingly common, more attention needs to be paid to them and our understanding of them needs to be improved. Women in one-person households, in particular, are especially vulnerable, as they experience more unmet healthcare needs.