지역사회 거주 재가노인들의 씹기 및 삼킴 문제 영향요인

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting self-reported chewing and swallowing problems among healthy community-dwelling older adults who have no history of diseases that may cause these problems. The subjects were 170 elderly individuals (88 men, 82 women) above 65 years of age (mean age=75.40±6.18 years) who were recruited from the welfare centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that ‘missing teeth with dentures’ (odds ratio (OR)=9.872, 95% confidential interval (CI)=1.917-50.833) and ‘missing teeth without dentures’ (OR=8.404, 95% CI=3.058-23.093) were statistically associated with subjective chewing problems. Subjective mouth dryness affected swallowing problems (OR=6.141, 95% CI=1.973-19.112). In this study, denture and oral dryness were found to be major factors in chewing and swallowing problems observed in healthy elderly people. The results of this study are expected to serve as a basis for prevention and education programs.