Survey of Adults' Perceptions of the Association between Chronic Diseases and Oral Health

Kim, Cheoul Sin; Choi, Yong Keum

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate adult individuals' perceptions on the association between chronic diseases and oral health provide basic data required for motivating individuals to follow ideal oral health behaviors and boost their interests in oral disease prevention and treatment. Subjects in their 20s to 50s were selected through the convenience sampling method and eleven questions were set as factors and answered via self-administered questionnaires. To determine statistical significance, analysis of variance was used with the level of significance set at 0.05. The subjects' perception of the association between chronic diseases and oral health were analyzed with respect to their health behaviors. Individuals with relatively higher stress levels demonstrated higher levels of perception levels (p<0.05). Public education regarding the association between chronic diseases and oral health has not been ideally effective in South Korea. Thus, the general public's perceptions of the association between chronic diseases and oral health should be revised. In addition aspects regarding this matter should be enhanced within oral health education programs which often only focus on demonstrating the importance of oral health management so that individuals can get sufficient information on the association between chronic diseases and oral health.