• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.39 no.sup2
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• pp.261-268
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• 2009

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of periodontitis in Korean adults and to examine the associations between periodontitis and known risk factors. Methods: Using Korean National Oral Health Survey 2006 data, a total of 4,263 people who had taken oral examination, interviewed by questionnaire, and aged 18 or older were sampled. The prevalence of periodontitis measured by Community Periodontal Index (CPI) was calculated and the differences in prevalence according to known risk factors (age, sex, monthly income, education, residential area, tooth-brushing frequency, regular dental visit, smoking, and diabetes) were examined with chi-square test. Logistic regression analysis was performed to see the effects of each risk factor on the risk of having periodontitis. All statistical approaches were reflected national sampling design using Survey procedures in SAS 9.1. Results: The overall prevalence of periodontitis in Korean adults was 10.3%. There existed statistically significant differences in crude prevalence for periodontitis according to the all risk factors. In logistic regression, older age groups (O.R.:2.94-3.71), people living in rural area (O.R.:1.87), and current smokers (O.R.:1.77) were significantly prone to have periodontitis. People who earned monthly income of more than 2 million Korean won (O.R.:0.64) and brushed their teeth two or more times per day (O.R.:0.60-0.62) had significantly lower risk of having periodontitis. Conclusions: About 10% of Korean adults had periodontitis in 2006. People who were older, living in rural region, in lower income status, smoking, less tooth brushing were more likely to have periodontitis.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.317-326
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• 2014

Objectives: Elevated serum uric acid (UA) has been known to be associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, no prospective studies have examined whether serum UA levels are actually associated with the development of MetS. We performed a prospective study to evaluate the longitudinal effects of baseline serum UA levels on the development of MetS. Methods: A MetS-free cohort of 14 906 healthy Korean men, who participated in a medical check-up program in 2005, was followed until 2010. MetS was defined according to the Joint Interim Statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention. Cox proportional hazards models were performed. Results: During 52 466.1 person-years of follow-up, 2428 incident cases of MetS developed between 2006 and 2010. After adjusting for multiple covariates, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for incident MetS for the second, the third, and the fourth quartile to the first quartile of serum UA levels were 1.09 (0.92-1.29), 1.22 (1.04-1.44), and 1.48 (1.26-1.73), respectively (p for trend <0.001). These associations were also significant in the clinically relevant subgroup analyses. Conclusions: Elevated serum UA levels were independently associated with future development of MetS in Korean men during the 5-year follow-up period.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.49-63
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• 2005

Objectives : Ojayeonjonghwan(五子衍宗丸) is composed of Polygonum multiflorum THUNB, and some medical herbs that are known as formula of senescence delay effects. The purpose of this study is to investigate th effect of Ojayeonjonghwan on antioxidant enzyme activities, such as Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance(TBARS), Superoxide dismutase(SOD), Catalase(CAT), Glutathione preoxidase (GSH-px) in rat erythrocytes and blood plasma. Methods : Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups, Normal group (supplied enough water and feeds only, Normal Group), D-galatose administered group(injected D-galatose 50mg/kg, 1time/day for 6 weeks, Control Group) and Ojayeonjonghwan administered group (D-galactose 50mg/kg and Ojayeonjonghwan extracts 245.0mg/200g 1time/day for 6 weeks, OJY Group). Rats were sacrificed and TBARS, SOD, CAT, GSH-px, Plasma total lipid, Plasma triglyceride and cholesterol were measured in rat erythrocytes and blood plasma. Results : TBARS in plasma concentration of OJY group was significantly lower than that of control group. Red blood cell(RBC) SOD activity of OJY group was significantly higher than that of control group(F=16.057, p=0.0001, ANOVA test), RBC GSH-px activity of OJY group was increased(F=4.271, p=0.034, ANOVA test). RBC catalase activities of all experimental group were not significantly different. Total lipid and triglyceride concentration in plasma of all experimental groups were not significantly different. Total cholesterol concentrations in plasma of OJY group were significantly lower than those of control group(F=4.387, p=0.032, ANOVA test). Conclusions : According to the above results, it is considered that Ojayeonjonghwan is effective in inhibiting lipid peroxidation and increasing antioxidative enzyme activities in D-galactose induced aging rat.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.91-98
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• 2000

Objectives : This study is to evaluate the awareness, attitude, practice and the countermeasures against passive smoking in Korean adults. Methods : By self-administered questionnaires, we assessed the knowledge, attitude, behavior for passive smoking and the countermeasure for reduction of it's harmful effects in 289 men and 238 women. Results : The subjects that have heard about passive smoking were 96.8% in total and well known were 26.4% of current smoker, 56.6% of ex-smoker, and 14.8% of non-smoker(p=0.001). The irritative symptom from passive smoking was the most frequent in non-smokers and the most common place where exposed to passive smoking was public place. For attitude against passive smoking in 'no smoking allowed area', ex-smokers were the most active to recommend to stop smoking. And for opinion about establishment of 'no smoking allowed area', the restriction by law was the best acceptable method in smokers, exsmokers, and nonsmokers. In marking of 'no smoking allowed area', 69.9% of smokers answered no smoking, but in non-marking area only 6.3% stop smoking. When smokers were recommended to stop smoking, the more subjects stop smoking with good feeling in marking area, but the less in non-marking area. The factor associated the high awareness of passive smoking were aged(OR=1.07, 1.03-1.12), men(OR=4.34, 2.32-8.46). The persons who have known well about passive smoking had good attitude and behavior to prevent of harmful effect of passive smoking. Conclusions : This study suggested that education program would be necessary to reduce the passive smoking.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.188-194
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• 2015

Objectives: The goal of this study was to identify association between the continuity of ambulatory care of diabetes patients in South Korea (hereafter Korea) and the incidence of macrovascular complications of diabetes, using claims data compiled by the National Health Insurance Services of Korea. Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively. The subjects of the study were 43 002 patients diagnosed with diabetes in 2007, who were over 30 years of age, and had insurance claim data from 2008. The macrovascular complications of diabetes mellitus were limited to ischemic heart disease and ischemic stroke. We compared the characteristics of the patients in whom macrovascular complications occurred from 2009 to 2012 to the characteristics of the patients who had no such complications. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the effects of continuity of ambulatory care on diabetic macrovascular complications. The continuity of ambulatory diabetes care was estimated by metrics such as the medication possession ratio, the quarterly continuity of care and the number of clinics that were visited. Results: Patients with macrovascular complications showed statistically significant differences regarding sex, age, comorbidities, hypertension, dyslipidemia and continuity of ambulatory diabetes care. Visiting a lower number of clinics reduced the odds ratio for macrovascular complications of diabetes. A medication possession ratio below 80% was associated with an increased odds ratio for macrovascular complications, but this result was of borderline statistical significance. Conclusions: Diabetes care by regular health care providers was found to be associated with a lower occurrence of diabetic macrovascular complications. This result has policy implications for the Korean health care system, in which the delivery system does not work properly.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.434-441
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• 2008

Objectives: This study was conducted to measure the decline in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with some diseases in South Korean adults. Methods: The EQ-5D health states in the 2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES) and the Korean EQ-5D valuation set were used to obtain the EQ-5D indexes of the study subjects. Each disease group was defined when the subjects reported to the NHNES that they were diagnosed with the corresponding disease during the previous 1 year by physicians. Since the distributions of the EQ-5D indexes in each subgroup were negatively skewed, median regression analysis was used to estimate the effects of specific diseases on the HRQoL. Median regression analysis produced estimates that approximated the median of the EQ-5D indexes and there are more robust for analyzing data with many outliers. Results: A total of 16,692 subjects (6,667 patients and 10,025 people without any disease) were included in the analysis. As a result of the median regression analysis, stroke had the strongest impact on the HRQoL for both males and females, followed by osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatic arthritis, and herniation of an intervertebral disc. While asthma had a significant impact on the HRQoL only in men, cataract, temporo-mandibular dysfunction, and peptic ulcer significantly affected the HRQoL only in women. Conclusions: Stroke and musculoskeletal diseases were associated with the largest losses of the HRQoL in Korean adults.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.22 no.1 s.25
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• pp.71-80
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• 1989

The adverse effect of diving on the fetus may extend beyond n gestational process and outcome. Primiparous Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to one of ten exposure schedules during gestatred $PO_2$ level, the following question about the effect of exposing a pregnant female to high partial pressure of inspired oxygen has been raised. 'What effect does an increased maternal $PIO_2$ have on fetal arterial $PO_2$ and therefore on possible fetal oxygen poisoning?' This study was carried out to observe the effects of maternal hyperoxia on gestational process and outcome. Primiparous Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to one of ten exposure schedules during gestation. The treatment groups were subjected to either the high concentration of oxygen, or the high atmospheric pressure. On day 21 of gestation, laparotomy was performed to examine for number and distribution of implantations and live and resorbing embryos. Fetuses were weighed, and examined for gross malformations. Subsequently, they were fixed, measured in physical parameters, and examined for visceral anomalies. Minor visceral anomalies and anatomical variation was not found. Similarily, there were no significant differences when number of resorptions, mean fetal weights, pregnancy interruption rate were compared by analysis of variance. These results indicate that exposing rats to oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure doese not affect fetal health or survival.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.387-393
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• 2012

Objectives: Even though several epidemiological studies have observed positive associations between blood lead levels and homocysteine, no study has examined whether this association differs by the levels of micronutrients, such as folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, which are involved in the metabolism of homocysteine. In this study, we examined the interactions between micronutrients and blood lead on homocysteine levels. Methods: This study was performed with 4089 adults aged ${\geq}20$ years old in the US general population using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004. Results: There were significant or marginally significant interactions between micronutrients and blood lead levels on mean homocysteine levels. Positive associations between blood lead and homocysteine were clearly observed among subjects with low levels of folate or low vitamin B6 (p-trend <0.01, respectively). However, in the case of vitamin B12, there was a stronger positive association between blood lead and homocysteine among subjects with high levels of vitamin B12, compared to those with low levels of vitamin B12. In fact, the levels of homocysteine were already high among subjects low in vitamin B12, irrespective of blood lead levels. When we used hyperhomocysteinemia (homocysteine>15 ${\mu}mol/L$) as the outcome, there were similar patterns of interaction, though p-values for each interaction failed to reach statistical significance. Conclusions: In the current study, the association between blood lead and homocysteine differed based on the levels of folate, vitamin B6, or vitamin B12 present in the blood. It may be important to keep sufficient levels of these micronutrients to prevent the possible harmful effects of lead exposure on homocysteine levels.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2019

Background: An inability to cope with threatening dental stimuli, i.e., sight, sound, and sensation of airotor, manifests as anxiety and behavioral management problems. Behavior modification techniques involving pre-exposure to dental equipment will give children a first-hand experience of their use, sounds, and clinical effects. The aim of this study was to compare the techniques of Tell-Show-Play-doh, a smartphone dentist game, and a conventional Tell-Show-Do method in the behavior modification of anxious children in the dental operatory. Methods: Sixty children in the age group of 4-8 years, with Frankl's behavior rating score of 2 or 3, requiring Class I and II cavity restorations were divided into three groups. The groups were Group 1: Tell-Show-Play-doh; Group 2: smartphone dentist game; and Group 3: Tell-Show-Do technique and each group comprised of 20 children. Pulse rate, Facial Image Scale (FIS), Frankl's behavior rating scale, and FLACC (Face, Leg, Activity, Cry, Consolability) behavior scales were used to quantify anxious behavior. Operator compliance was recorded through a validated questionnaire. Results: The results showed lower mean pulse rates, lower FIS and FLACC scores, higher percentage of children with Frankl's behavior rating score of 4, and better operator compliance in both the Tell-Show-Play-doh and smartphone dentist game groups than in the conventional Tell-Show-Do group. Conclusion: The Tell-Show-Play-doh and smartphone dentist game techniques are effective tools to reduce dental anxiety in pediatric patients.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.385-394
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the status of regional variations in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treatment and investigate the association between the presence of a thrombectomy-capable stroke center (TSC) and the case fatality rate (CFR) of AIS within hospital service areas (HSAs). Methods: This observational cross-sectional study analyzed acute stroke quality assessment program data from 262 hospitals between 2013 and 2016. TSCs were defined according to the criteria of the Joint Commission. In total, 64 HSAs were identified based on the addresses of hospitals. We analyzed the effects of structure factors, process factors, and the presence of a TSC on the CFR of AIS using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Among 262 hospitals, 31 hospitals met the definition of a TSC. Of the 64 HSAs, only 20 had a TSC. At hospitals, the presence of a stroke unit, the presence of stroke specialists, and the rate of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) treatment were associated with reductions in the CFR. In HSAs, the rate of EVT treatment (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 0.99) and the presence of a TSC (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.99) significantly reduced the CFR of AIS. Conclusions: The presence of a TSC within an HSA, corresponding to structure and process factors related to the quality of care, contributed significantly to lowering the CFR of AIS. The CFR also declined as the rate of treatment increased. This study highlights the importance of TSCs in the development of an acute stroke care system in Korea.