한국치위생학회

Factors influencing unmet dental needs of preschool children: A study based on data of the 2013-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES)

An-Na Yeo   Yu-Min Park   Su-Young Lee1,*   

남서울대학교 일반대학원 치위생학과
1남서울대학교 치위생학과

Abstract

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 6th National Health and Nutrition Survey. Methods: This study was performed using data collected from the 6th 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 χ2 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.

Figures & Tables

Table 1. Definition of variables