• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.277-284
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• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to investigate the influencing factors of oral health-related quality of life in social workers. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 240 social workers in Gwangju by convenience sampling method. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of the subjects(age, monthly salary, smoking, alcohol consumption) and systemic health condition(systemic diseases, medication, oral health status, and stress). The factors associated with oral health-related quality of life included skin dryness, eye dryness, lip dryness, and nasal dryness. The subjective dry mouth consisted of 6 questions measured by visual analogue scale(VAS). Cronbach's alpha was 0.868 in the study. The data were analyzed for t-test, one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis using SPSS 18.0 program. Results: The oral health-related quality of life in social workers varied by age, oral health status, stress status, and halitosis. The oral health-related quality of life had positive correlations with the subjective perception of dry mouth and whole body dry symptoms. The health status(${\beta}=-0.410$) had the influence on the oral health-related quality of life, nasal dryness(${\beta}=0.230$), age(${\beta}=0.189$), and halitosis (${\beta}=0.162) in order. Conclusions: The oral health-related quality of life was closely related to the health status and nasal dryness. It is necessary to develop the quality of life improvement programs including oral health prevention and care program in the social workers.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.555-561
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• 2014

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the factors related to stress perception. Methods : A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 109 people living in Gimpo city from January 16 to April 15, 2013. The data were analyzed using SPSS window ver. 19.0(IBM CO., Armonk, NY, USA) for t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results : Men and group of 59 years old tended to have higher stress perception than women and those who over 60 years old, but the results were not statistically significant. Stress perception was higher among the group with systemic dryness and oral dryness(each${\geq}1$) and the group reporting high difficulty in daily living due to oral problem(${\geq}2$)(p<0.05). Especially, the factor that was most correlated to stress perception was systemic dryness(${\beta}$=0.347) followed by problem of daily living for oral problem(${\beta}$=0.278, p<0.01). Conclusions : Systemic dryness and oral problem can increase the level of stress perception, mouth dryness and oral problems are a part of stress responses. Therefore, the regular health checkup must be done and early treatment to reduce stress perception as well as negative aspects caused by stress. It will contribute to the enhancement of public health and life of quality.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2005

Xerostomia is defined as a subjective complaint of dry mouth that may be perceived when there is insufficient mucosal wetting. However, the diagnosis and treatment of xerostomia is not that simple because of the fact that the subjective awareness of dry mouth is not always correlated with a diminution in the flow of saliva and there is always a difference between individuals in salivary flow rates needed for normal oral function. In the present study, the aim was to develop a questionnaire to evaluate the dry mouth symptoms and to analyze its reliability and usability as a diagnostic and analytic tool for xerostomia. The questionnaire which consists of 6 Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) type questions to evaluate the subjective oral dryness and 4 questions to evaluate behavior to avoid oral dryness was developed and administered twice with 1 week's interval to the healthy 88 young adults without dry mouth symptoms(44 males and 44 females; mean age was $25.6{\pm}3.1$ years in male and $24.3{\pm}2.1$ years in female). The results were as follows. 1 The intraclass correlation coefficients of 6 questions to evaluate the subjective oral dryness were as significantly high as 0.767 for the degree of oral dryness at other times of the day, 0.850 for the amount of saliva in the mouth, and 0.791 for the degree of effect on daily life due to oral dryness and as high as 0.563 for the degree of oral dryness at night or on awakening, 0.674 for the degree of oral dryness during eating, and 0.641 for the degree of difficulty in swallowing foods. 2. Cronbach's alpha value of 6 questions was 0.982. It can be concluded that the series of questions to evaluate the subjective oral dryness has high internal consistency. 3. Cohen's kappa values of 4 questions to evaluate behavior to relieve oral dryness were as significantly high as 0.850 for the frequency of keeping a glass of water at the bedside and as high as 0.506 the frequency of awakening during sleeping due to oral dryness, 0.419 for the frequency of sipping liquids to aid in eating dry foods, and 0.407 for the frequency of using a candy or chewing gum due to oral dryness. From the results, it can be concluded that the questionnaire consisting of 6 VAS type questions to evaluate the subjective oral dryness and 4 questions to evaluate behavior to relieve oral dryness has reliability of good to excellent level, and that the series of 6 VAS type questions has significantly high internal consistency to evaluate the subjective oral dryness.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.30-41
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• 2020

As the morbidity of chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure has increased, the frequency of oral dryness upon taking drugs for a long time or several drugs at the same time has greatly increased. This study was conducted to investigate the status of oral dryness and utilize the data to develop treatment products. Surveys were assembled from October to December 2018, and a statistical analysis of the 144 responses was conducted. The surveyed consisted of 60 males and 84 females, with 31.3% of those in their 70s and older. Among them, 100 people took drugs for chronic diseases, while 27 people took drugs for more than 10 years and less than 20 years. Exactly 23 respondents who took drugs suffered from more than two types of chronic diseases, of which high blood pressure was the most cited, followed by hyperlipidemia and diabetes. Regarding complications, oral dryness (33.8%) was the most frequent, and there were significant differences in the degree of discomfort when taking medicine, especially for oral dryness depending on the age (P<0.05). Groups that took medicine showed severe symptoms of dry mouth, especially when waking up at night or in the morning (P<0.001) and eating food (P<0.01), and had difficulty in swallowing food (P<0.01) and speaking (P<0.01). Exactly 89.6% of the respondents didn't take lozenges (candy) for improvement of oral dryness, and the type of the product that they wanted to purchase the most was candy (45.1%). Respondents worried about rising blood sugar, dental caries, and calories when eating candy for relieving dryness (P<0.01).

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.218-226
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• 2019

In old age, measures to cope with the natural phenomenon of aging and various diseases of the elderly due to the deterioration of physical function are also a challenge for this society. While interest in systematic health is increasing, it is true that awareness and interest in oral-related diseases is relatively lacking. This study aims to present basic data necessary to improve the quality of life for senior citizens aged 65 or older by improving the oral dryness caused by systemic health. By research method, improve oral dryness caused by whole-body health with the elderly over 65 and promote their oral health, inducing the increase of the salivary flow rate through oral health care education, oral exercise, and salivary gland massage. First, on the DMSQ according to the general characteristics of the elderly, the recognition of the whole body and oral health status, independent sample t-test and One-way ANOVA were conducted. Second, on changes in the salivary flow rate and saliva pH according to the general characteristics of the elderly, recognition of oral and whole-body health status, and whole-body health, paired samples t-test was conducted. Studies have shown that salivary gland flow increased significantly after oral exercise and salivary gland massage, the salivary flow rate significantly increased. In all variables of the recognition of the oral health status, the salivary flow rate increased after oral exercise and salivary gland massage, and in the whole-body health, regardless of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and osteoporosis, the salivary flow rate increased after oral exercise and salivary gland massage, and the salivary flow rate increased after oral exercise and salivary gland massage if the subjects responded that they did not have thyroid abnormality, anemia, abnormalities of breathing, hypotension, gastrointestinal disturbance, or kidney diseases. As a comprehensive analysis of this study, many felt oral dryness when they had a problem with the whole-body health, and many felt oral dryness when they had a problem with oral health cognition. After applying oral exercise and salivary gland massage as intervention methods in the oral health care for the elderly, the salivary flow rate significantly increased, and it is judged that the methods were very effective for controlling oral dryness. Furthermore, it is judged that the factors affecting oral health, whole-body health, and oral dryness would be identified, which would be helpful for the promotion of whole-body health and oral health. It is judged that continuous research would be needed so that measures for the application of the oral care program and system for the elderly would be prepared in the future.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.41-46
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate a correlation among oral hygiene habits, dryness of mouth, and self-perceived oral malodor and therefore to find out self-care methods which could be a help to reduce oral malodor. Methods: A survey of 296 dental undergraduate students of School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, who wrote consents voluntarily and participated in this study, was conducted using a questionnaire consisting of 17 questions and analyzed to investigate a correlation among oral hygiene habits (frequency of tooth brushing, water gargling, and drinking water, etc.), dryness of mouth indicating the amount of salivary secretion, and self-perceived oral malodor. Results: There was no significant correlation between mechanical cleaning factors and self-perceived oral malodor. The factor showing a strong correlation with severe self-perceived oral malodor was dryness of mouth (p=0.000). Conclusions: There was no correlation between mechanical cleaning habits and self-perceived oral malodor. Participants who felt self-perceived oral malodor more tended to have rather good mechanical cleaning habits. The factor showing a strong correlation with severe self-perceived oral malodor was dryness of mouth. Therefore trying to increase salivary secretion is considered to be a help to reduce self-perceived halitosis.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.13-24
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• 2013

Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate the availability of diagnosis of Yin-deficiency in the elderly with xerostomia and factors influencing subjective oral dryness. Methods: We surveyed 50 patients recruited by the clinical trial, 'Efficacy of Yukmijihwang-tang on Xerostomia in the Elderly: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Two-center Trial'. The subjects were assessed on their subjective oral dryness using the Dry Mouth Symptom Questionnaire (DMSQ). Their salivary functions were measured by Unstimulated Salivary Flow Rate (USFR) measurements. In addition, the subjects were evaluated on their Qi-stagnation and Yin-deficiency conditions using the Qi-stagnation questionnaire and Yin-deficiency questionnaire. Results: There were statistically significant correlations between three variables (USFR, DMSQ score and Qi-stagnation score) and Yin-deficiency score. In the multiple regression analysis, the regression model was statistically significant (F = 10.273, p < .001). The factor most strongly influencing the subjective oral dryness was USFR (${\beta}$ = -0.386). Yin-deficiency had the next strongest impact on the subjective oral dryness (${\beta}$ = 0.371). Qi-stagnation affected the subjective oral dryness weakly (${\beta}$ = 0.075). In the simple regression analysis, Yin-deficiency had a statistically significant effect on each of six subscales of DMSQ (p < .01). Among the six subscales, DMSQ-1 ('Oral dryness at night or on awakening') was the most strongly influenced by Yin-deficiency. Conclusions: The results of this study show that the diagnosis of Yin-deficiency in the elderly with xerostomia was available and Yin-deficiency was an important factor influencing the subjective oral dryness. Therefore, the consideration of Yin-deficiency is significant for diagnosis and treatment in the elderly with xerostomia.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.109-116
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• 2021

Purpose: Xerostomia is subjective feeling of dry mouth. It is complicated and multifactorial, which burdens clinicians in diagnosis and treatment of the problem. The goal of this study was to discuss the clinical importance of salivary flow rate, pH and subjective symptoms for evaluating oral dryness among young healthy male subjects. Methods: Thirty male participants were recruited in this study (mean age±standard deviation of 25.70±1.84). All participants completed 'Xerostomia Inventory' to measure subjective oral dryness scores. Unstimulated saliva and stimulated saliva were collected from each participant twice a day at 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm, using spitting method. Salivary flow rates and pH were measured immediately after collection. Relationship between objective and subjective measurements were analyzed. Results: There were excellent intra-examiner reliability for salivary flow rate and pH and good internal consistency for Xerostomia Inventory. Objective measurements and subjective symptoms did not exhibit positive association. Salivary flow rate in unstimulated and stimulated condition showed positive association and also for salivary pH. Stimulated salivary flow rate also presented positive correlation with stimulated salivary pH. Conclusions: Comprehensive assessment of objective measurements and subjective symptoms may be complimentary for assessing oral dryness, which would assist in implementing early interventions to improve patient's quality of life.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.12
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• pp.437-445
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• 2019

This study is a 1:1 survey of 154 elderly 65 or older to find out the direct and indirect effects of oral dryness on their quality of life through the medium of depression. As a result, the subjective oral health of the elderly and oral dryness, depression and quality of life were correlated. In the medial effect of subjective oral health and oral dryness on the quality of life, subjective oral health is the quality of life(β=.23, p<.01), depression(β=-.24, p<.01)and the influence of subjective oral health when depression is controlled(β=.08, p>05) was not significant and was completely mediated. Oral dryness is the quality of life(β=-.24, p<.01) and depression(β=.37, p<.001) was shown to have a significant effect and the influence of oral dryness when depression is controlled(β=.00, p>.05) was not significant and was completely mediated. In order to improve the quality of life for the elderly, it is necessary to develop and apply a comprehensive arbitration program that can improve oral health and oral function, and to study the effects of consequences in the future.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.382-392
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate effects of an oral self-care program on oral dryness and oral health related quality of life in the elderly. Methods: The current research design isa nonequivalent control group protest-posttest design with two groups of elders from two different senior centers in D city. Tools for the research include paper of salivary absorption (WF41-1850, Whatman, Germany), 6 items for subjective oral dryness and OHIP-14 for oral health related to quality of life. The data were analyzed to test three hypotheses by using the SPSS 22.0 program. Results: The three hypotheses were significantly accepted. The subjective oral dryness score was lower in the experimental group than in the control group (t=-2.45, p=.022). Salivary absorption was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (t=3.83, p<.001).Oral health related quality of life was better in the experimental group than in the control group (t=-2.11, p=.044). Conclusion: The oral self-care program has appeared to be effective on oral dryness and an oral health related quality of life in the elderly. Therefore, it can be suggested that the oral self-care program is applicable as an intervention program motivating the elderly to maintain oral health.