미충족 치과의료 지속 현황과 관련요인

초록

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate effective predictive factors of the persistenceof unmet dental care needs. Methods: Data were obtained from the Korea Health Panel studies of 2011 and 2015, and 4,406 subjects,aged 18 years or older, were included in this study. Of these subjects, those who persistently experiencedunmet dental care needs over the three-year period were identified. Panel logistic regressionanalyses were conducted to identify socio-demographic and health-related factors associated with thepersistence of unmet dental care needs in two groups, those aged between 18-64 years and over 65years. Results: Approximately 12% of subjects showed a persistence in unmet dental care needs. Maritalstatus, education level, household income, type of health insurance, and self-rated health status all significantlycorrelated with the persistence of unmet dental care needs in both age groups. Conclusions: Efforts should be made to identify factors related to the persistence of unmet dental careneeds in order to improve patient accessibility to dental care services.

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