중년기 이후 구강위생관리 행태가 잔존 치아수에 미치는 영향

The Effects of Oral Hygiene Care Behavior and Attitude on the Number of Natural Teeth after Middle Aged People

This study examined oral health care behavior and attitude of middle aged people, their number of natural teeth as well as how their general characteristics and oral health care behavior and attitude affected their number of natural teeth. A total of 305 subjects, who were 50 years or older and used the welfare centers for the middle aged people in Seoul and Suwon, were enrolled in this study. A survey and oral examination were carried out through a separate interview from September 14 through to September 23, 2005. A χ2-test, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and pearson correlation cofficient were used to analyze the data using the SPSS program. The number of natural teeth in the group of people under and over 65 was 15.08 and 8.65, respectively. 32.5% and 44.4% of the middle aged people perceived their oral health to be moderate and poor, respectively. Regarding number of natural teeth, those who were older and had higher toothbrushing frequency and used to special dentifrice and experience of scaling that their number of natural teeth had higher. The subjects age and perceived oral health had a significant impact on their number of natural teeth. These results highlight the need for oral health programs to help middle aged people retain more of their natural teeth.