한국치위생학회

A study on the status of dental underserved areas in Korea

지원 유1   보미 신2,3,*   선정 신2,3   수명 배2,3   

Institute for Innovative Education, College of Dentistry, Gangneung-Wonju National University
1Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Dentistry, Gangneung-Wonju National University
2Research Institute of Oral Science, Gangneung-Wonju National University

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the status of dental care in underserved areas of Korea. Methods: This study targeted 229 cities in Korea. The analytical index was revised and supplemented with variables related to dental care, and the “oral health level” indexes were further selected to provide a total of 20 analytical indexes. All selected indexes were converted into T scores (cited by the Korea Health Promotion Institute) and subjectively weighted. Finally, the regional oral health indices and areas were derived. PASW Statistics 25.0 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL, USA) was used to analyze descriptive statistics. Results: Gyeongbuk Cheongsong-gun had the highest dental underserved index. The city with the highest regional oral health underserved index was Jeonnam Shinan-gun. Daegu Jung-gu had the lowest dental underserved index and regional oral health underserved index. Regional gaps existed between dental care and the regional oral health underserved index according to the city province (p<0.001). Conclusions: To continuously evaluate oral health conditions and projects centered on vulnerable areas, it is necessary to develop indicators to derive vulnerable areas for dental care and to develop effective public dental policies.

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