Association of Self-Perceived Oral Health and Function with Clinically Determined Oral Health Status among Adults Aged 35-54 Years: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to analyse the association of self-perceived oral health status (OHS) and functions with clinical OHS in Korean adults aged 35-54 years. The study was designed as a cross-sectional study using data from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2009). A total of 6605 subjects aged 35-54 years who completed the oral examination and questionnaires were included. An association of self-perceived OHS and functions with clinically determined OHS was confirmed by a complex-samples general linear model. Data on socioeconomic variables, i.e., household income and education level, self-perceived OHS and functions, such as chewing and speaking, were collected by trained interviewers. The clinical OHS was determined by trained dentists and included the number of untreated decayed teeth (DT); decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT); prosthetic and periodontal status. The combined score was estimated as the sum of self-perceived OHS and functions. Based on the estimation coefficient, the clinical variables that were most strongly associated with self-perceived OHS and functions were, in order, periodontal status, prosthetic status, DT, and DMFT. In addition, the combined score for self-perceived OHS and functions was associated with household income, education, and clinically determined OHS.