Background: Dental health is an important factor in daily life routines and is closely associated with maintaining a health-related quality of life. This study examined denture procedure changes after implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Coverage of Dentures for the elderly. Methods: We used the “Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS)” developed by the Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. We analyzed the association between policy implementation and dental health-related outcomes using difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to compare patients aged ≥75 with those 65–74 years before and after coverage. Results: A comparison of age groups and coverage periods showed that patients aged ≥75 years had higher (OR: 1.038, 95% CI: 1.021–1.055) procedure rates after coverage. In particular, elderly patients on medical aid had significantly higher denture procedure rates, while those without oral health screening were more likely to have denture procedures. Conclusions: This study determined the impact of the NHI Coverage of Denture procedure policy for the elderly and found increased denture treatments in the elderly. This policy appeared to positively affect older patients by increasing denture procedures for low-income and medical aid beneficiaries. Hence, the government needs to increase oral health examination and dental health policies for the elderly.

Jang J, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2018 Mar;33(15):e116. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e116

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with adverse oral function outcomes, yet its association with oral function remains underexplored. This study aims to analyze the association between OSA and oral function problems, and whether these relationships are more pronounced among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Methods: Data were derived from the 2022–2023 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), including 6349 participants aged 40 and above. OSA risk was assessed using the STOP-Bang questionnaire. Oral function was evaluated through chewing discomfort, speaking discomfort, and dental pain. Complex sample logistic regression was performed, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related covariates. Stratified analyses were conducted to examine whether the association differed across socioeconomic groups. Result: High OSA risk was significantly associated with chewing discomfort (OR: 1.365, 95% CI: 1.121–1.662), speaking discomfort (OR: 1.534, 95% CI: 1.126–2.082), and dental pain (OR: 1.198, 95% CI: 1.006–1.431). Stratified analyses showed stronger associations in low education or income groups. For instance, those in the lowest income group were over five times more likely to report speaking discomfort (OR = 5.207, 95% CI: 2.365–11.462) than those in the highest. Conclusions: OSA risk is significantly associated with impaired oral function, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. These findings underscore the need for integrated public health approaches that address both sleep and oral health disparities.

Purpose: This study was performed to examine the associations of fall experiences with cognitive function and activities of daily living (ADL) disability among older adults. Methods: Using raw data from the 2023 National Survey of Older Koreans, a total of 9,816 individuals aged 65 years or older were included in the analysis. Independent samples t-tests, ANOVA, chi-square tests, linear regression, and logistic regression analyses were conducted for statistical evaluation. Additionally, subgroup regression analyses were conducted to identify socially vulnerable groups according to age group, education level, and caregiving expenses. Results: The analysis showed that cognitive function tended to be lower in individuals with fall experience. (β=-0.44, p=.026), and the odds of ADL disability were higher among individuals with fall experience than among those without (odds ratio [OR]=2.04, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]=1.63~2.54). In addition, subgroup analyses showed that cognitive function was lower among individuals with fall experience in the ≥85 years group (β=-1.30, p=.020) and among those with education at elementary school or below (β=-0.88, p=.001). The odds of ADL disability among those with fall experience (vs. no fall experience) were significantly elevated in the 65~74 age group (OR=2.80; 95% CI=1.99~3.94) and the ≥85 age group (OR=2.59; 95% CI=1.38~4.84). Higher odds were also observed among those with higher education (OR=4.95; 95% CI=1.19~20.60) and those with no caregiving expenses (OR=2.06; 95% CI=1.63~2.60). Conclusion: These findings provide important foundational data for both policy development and academic research. They highlight the need for a multifaceted approach to fall prevention and underscore its importance in enhancing the quality of life for the older adults.

Background and Objectives: This study examined the association between active aging and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older Korean adults. Furthermore, it examined how socioeconomic factors were related to active aging and HRQoL. Methods: Data were analyzed using the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). This study used the Health-Related Quality of Life Instrument with Eight Items (HINT-8), a Korean-specific HRQoL instrument. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to estimate the associations of overall active aging and its health, participation, and security domains with HRQoL. Results: The health domain showed the largest coefficient, and the security domain was also significantly associated with HRQoL. The participation domain showed a relatively limited and statistically non-significant association, which may partly reflect measurement constraints in the operationalization of participation. Older adults with lower educational levels and those residing in rural areas had lower levels of both active aging and HRQoL. Conclusions: Active aging was positively associated with HRQoL among older Korean adults. These findings highlight health as the domain most strongly associated with HRQoL and identify security as an additional relevant domain, while participation-related findings should be interpreted cautiously given the limited operationalization of participation and its statistically non-significant association. However, longitudinal or intervention studies are needed to examine temporal and causal relationships between active aging and HRQoL.