Association of Socioeconomic Status with Chewing Difficulty and Number of Remaining Teeth in Korean Diabetic Patients

Objectives: This study aimed to examine differences in oral health, specifically chewing difficulty and the number of remaining teeth, among adult diabetic patients according to socioeconomic status. Methods: Data from 1,337 diabetic patients who participated in the 2020–2021 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were analyzed. Participants were categorized based on household income and education levels, and oral health outcomes were assessed according to these categories. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate chewing difficulty, while analysis of covariance was applied to assess the number of remaining teeth, with adjustments made for gender, age, and other relevant covariates. Results: After adjusting for covariates, chewing difficulty was significantly associated with lower household income (p for trend<0.001) and lower education levels (p for trend=0.011). Similarly, the number of remaining teeth decreased as household income (p for trend=0.002) and education levels (p for trend=0.002) decreased, indicating a clear socioeconomic gradient in oral health outcomes. Conclusions: Socioeconomic disparities were found to have a substantial impact on oral health among diabetic patients. These findings highlight the need for targeted public health interventions to address oral health inequalities in this vulnerable population.