Original Article

Association between stress and chewing ability of adults older than 65 years

Hae-Eun  Shin1   In-Sook  Eum2,3   Min-Jeong Cho4,5,*   

Youngnam Family Violence Care Center
1Department of Preventive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University
2Department of Health & Social Walfare Management, Suseong University
3Department of Preventive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook NationalUniversity
4University5Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Science & Technology, Kyungpook National University

Abstract

Objectives: Stress is the cause of several illnesses, in older people, stress may also cause various social problems. The oral health of older adults is closely related to the quality of life, and chewing ability is particularly important for their general health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between stress, the number of teeth remaining, and the chewing ability, which reflects the oral health status among older adults. Methods: This study evaluated the stress level and chewing ability of adults older than 65 years using the 6th (2014-2015) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination data. The total number of remaining teeth was determined based on the data of the teeth conditions. Results: There was an association between stress and chewing ability among older adults. The odds ratio of chewing function increased by 2.67 times (crude OR=2.67; 95% CI=1.88-3.79) with increased stress. After adjusting, the odds ratio increased to 2.74 times (adjusted OR=2.74; 95% CI=1.88-3.98). Conclusions: Reducing stress may facilitate effective oral health management and improve the overall quality of life in older adults. The findings of this study may help in the discovery of various approaches s to reducing stress in older adults and provide relevant information for oral health education.

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