Comparison of Diagnosed Depression and Self-Reported Depression Symptom as a Risk Factor of Periodontitis: Analysis of 2016-2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data

Depression causes damage to the immune defense mechanism, and it can worsen periodontitis due to the accumulation of periodontitis pathogens. This study was conducted in order to explore the association of diagnosed depression and self-reported depression symptom with periodontitis by using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 7th (KNHANES VII) data. A total of 12,689 participants aged over 19 received a periodontal examination among the 24,269 participants of KNHANES VII. Diagnosed depression and self-reported depression symptom were the two terms used for depression. Periodontitis was defined as the presence of teeth with periodontal pockets of 4 mm or deeper. The age, sex, marital status, education, region, basic livelihood protection, private health insurance, type of housing, health insurance coverage, household income, sleeping hours, subjective health condition, stress perception, drinking status, obesity, and current smoking status of the participants were examined. Chi-square tests and two-tailed analyses were used. The association of depression and periodontitis was tested by using logistic regression models adjusted for socio-demographic and behavioral variables. Diagnosed depression was associated with periodontitis, as the odds ratio of diagnosed depression for periodontitis was 1.772 (95% confidence interval = 1.328-2.364). However, the association between self-reported depression symptom and periodontitis was not statistically significant. This study revealed that diagnosed depression, not self-reported depression symptom, could be a risk factor for periodontitis. Therefore, it is necessary to take a closer look into diagnosed depression in order to manage and prevent periodontitis.