Association Between the Number of Chronic Diseases and Oral Health Problems in Korean Adults.

Purpose: The relationship between the number of chronic diseases and oral health problems is unclear. We sought to determine whether the number of chronic diseases and multimorbidity have an association with oral health problems in Korean adults.

Materials and methods: Data from 23,246 adults aged ≥ 19 years, who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2016 to 2019, were considered for our analyses. Participants with either masticatory or speech problems were defined as the oral health problems group. Individuals who reported having had dental treatment in the last year were defined as the dental treatment group. We used multivariable logistic regression analyses to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: The proportions of oral health problems and dental treatment were higher in participants with multimorbidity than in those without multimorbidity (all p < 0.001). Moreover, ORs of oral health problems demonstrated a tendency to increase with the number of chronic diseases, even after adjustment (p for trend < 0.001). Compared to the participants without multimorbidity, the risk of having oral health problems increased by 25% (OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.12-1.39), and that of receiving dental treatment increased by 23% (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.13-1.34) in patients with multimorbidity.

Conclusion: The risk of oral health problems and dental treatment increased in association with the number of chronic diseases in Korean adults. The authors emphasise the risks and importance of oral health in a large population affected by multiple chronic diseases.