earticle

영어

Objectives : The aim of the present study was to propose more substantial data for evaluating the quality of life of adults in terms of oral health as well as provide the basic data necessary to develop an effective oral health care program that improves the quality of life of adults by age group. Methods : Raw data were used from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for the first and second years which was conducted from January 2013 to December 2014. Multiple regression analysis was conducted with the collected data by gender and age group to determine the impact of oral functions on the quality of life of adults. Results : It turned out that oral function has an impact on the quality of life of adults by age group as follows: young people (β=.077), middle-age people (β=.101), young-old elderly people (β=.140), and old-old elderly people (β=.143). It was shown that as people grow older, they have better quality of life only when they have good oral function. Conclusions : It is necessary to develop a proper oral health care program that prevents oral diseases and improves oral function by age group, which eventually will lead to good oral health. Continuous oral healthcare is also considered necessary.