Relationship between Food Insecurity and Dental Caries and Dental Pain in Korean Adults

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between food insecurity and the scores for the number of carious teeth and the presence of dental pain in Korean adults.Methods: The data used for analysis were obtained from the 7th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Data were analyzed by chi-square and multiple regression analysis was also performed to assess the association between food insecurity and dental caries and dental pain.Statistical significance level was set at p＜0.05.Results: Using multiple logistic regression analysis after adjustment of gender, age, incomes, education, BMI, smoking, and toothbrushing we found significant relationship between the prevalence of food insecurity and dental caries and dental pain (odd ratio [OR] = 4.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24-14.86).Conclusion: This study confirmed the association of food insecurity with scores for the number of carious teeth and dental pain.Further research is warranted to determine the cause-and-effect relationship across different populations.