earticle

영어

Purpose: This study conducted a survey on the elderly of 65 years and over with physical debilities and ones capable of living at home residing in Jeju Special Self-Government Province to compare and analyze demosociological characteristics and factors influencing on oral health related living quality. And also this study intended to provide basic data for developing effective public medical policies and health promotion programs to increase oral health related living quality of the elder. Methods: The elderly of 65 years and over living in Jeju Special Self-Government Province were interviewed individually from 7 February 2011 to 18 April and interview results of a total of 220 subjects were analysed for this study. Results: Current status of the elderly including ones with & without physical debilities influenced functional limitation and behavioral aspects of GOHAI criteria used in this study. The eldely with physical debilities experienced less limitaion in food chewing and swallowing, and pronunciation than ones capable of living at home. On the analogy of the previous study(by Park, N. G., 2010) in which oral health related quality and satisfaction of life of the elderly with physical debilities were different due to their physical, circumstantial and psychological limitations, the former's oral health conditions are worse than the ones capable of living at home and because of medical care accessability limitation they suffer from deteriorated oral condition. By the comparison of factors influencing on the living quality relating to the oral health of the elderly with physical debilities and ones capable of living at home, 2 factors, age and living area, were meaningful factors commonly influencing on the oral health related living qualities of both. The elderly of 75 years and over were more affected by psychological and behavioral aspects of oral health related living quality than the ones of 65-74 years, and the ones living in country suffered from functional limitations, pains and discomfort more than ones in city. Additionally, being different from the elderly capable of living at home, the ones with physical debilities were influenced by the factors of average monthly income and medical security type. Conclusion: Improvement of programs and systems to increase oral health related quality of life needs to be carried out preferentially for the elderly of 75 years and over, and dwelling in country. Also this study suggests that the policy of paying the denture insurance allowance in 2012 need effective planning considering the elderly’s current status, age, living area, medical security type.