Journal of Korean Society of Dental Hygiene (J Korean Soc Dent Hyg)
Original Article

A study on unmet long-term care and unmet dental care needs of the elderly

1Department of Dental Hygiene, Howon University
2Department of Dental Hygiene, Suwon Science College

Correspondence to Ji-Hyoung Han, Department of Dental Hygiene, Suwon Science College, Hwaseong 18516, Korea Tel: +82-31-3502418, Fax: +82-31-350-2075, E-mail: hanjh@ssc.ac.kr

Volume 26, Number 1, Pages 101–8, February 2026.
J Korean Soc Dent Hyg 2026;26(1):101–8. https://doi.org/10.13065/jksdh.2026.26.1.11
Received on January 08, 2026, Revised on February 04, 2026, Accepted on February 18, 2026, Published on February 28, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 Journal of Korean Society of Dental Hygiene.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0).

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the association between unmet long-term care needs and dental care among community-dwelling elderly and explored sex differences using data from the 2023 National Survey of Older Koreans. Methods: Data from 9,951 individuals aged ≥65 years were analyzed. Complex sample chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were conducted to account for the complex survey design. Demographic characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and health and functional status variables were sequentially adjusted for. Results: The prevalence of unmet dental care needs was high among elderly with disadvantaged sociodemographic characteristics, limitations in activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, lower cognitive function, and multiple chronic diseases. Elderly with unmet long-term care needs were more likely to experience unmet dental care than those with met care needs; this association remained significant after full adjustment. In the fully adjusted model, older female adults had a lower likelihood of receiving unmet dental care needs than their male counterparts. Conclusions: Unmet long-term care needs were significantly associated with unmet dental care needs among elderly, with sex differences observed. An integrated approach linking long-term care and healthcare may improve access to dental care, particularly for care-vulnerable elderly.

Keywords

Dental care, Health services accessibility, Long-term care, Sex factors

Section