Effects of Oral Health on Obesity in Korean Adults

Abstract

Background: To promote and maintain oral health among adults, the relationship between oral health and obesity was examined, and the effects of oral health on obesity were investigated.Methods: A total of 4,270 Korean adults aged ≥20 years were selected as study subjects using raw data from the first year (2019) of the eighth period of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Complex sample Rao–Scott chi-square test and complex sample logistic regression analysis were performed using PASW Statistics ver. 18.0. Results: The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 1.3 times higher subjects with poor oral health than in those with good perceived oral health and 1.3 times higher in subjects who did not receive dental checkups compared to those that did. The frequency of brushing of teeth was 1.2 times higher for subjects who reported brushing 2∼3 times per day compared to those who reported brushing four or more times per day. The risk of being overweight was 1.3 times higher in subjects with one or more dental implants than in those with none. Conclusion: To build an integrated health program, it is thought that a preventive approach through self and expert oral health care, considering the age-specific characteristics of adults, is necessary for the intervention process used to build customized obesity prevention projects at the national level.

Keywords

• abdominal obesity
• adult
• obesity
• oral health
• overweight