title: Association Between Chewing Difficulty and Symptoms of Depression in Adults: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
abstract: To assess the association between chewing difficulty and symptoms of depression in a representative sample of the Korean population.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  
  Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).
  
  
  
  KNHANES participants (N = 5,158).
  
  
  
  Chewing difficulty was assessed according to the self-reported presence of chewing problems using a structured questionnaire. Symptoms of depression were defined as having feelings of sadness or depression consecutively over 2 weeks during the last 12 months. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the associations between chewing difficulty and symptoms of depression, adjusted for age; sex; monthly household income; education; number of teeth; number of decayed, missing, or filled permanent teeth; periodontitis; state of dentition; tooth brushing frequency; regular dental visits; smoking status; alcohol consumption; hypertension; diabetes mellitus; and obesity. The interaction effects between chewing difficulty and confounders were evaluated, and age- and sex-stratified analyses were performed.
  
  
  
  There was a significant positive association between chewing difficulty and symptoms of depression in the fully adjusted model (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.48-2.33). The strength of the association was highest in men aged 60 and older (AOR = 3.28, 95% CI = 1.54-7.00).
  
  
  
  Chewing difficulty was independently associated with symptoms of depression in a representative sample of Korean adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Science, Eulji University, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Sun
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Science, Eulji University, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Soon
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Science, Eulji University, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Do-Seon
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: 
  KNHANES
  ; Korean adults; chewing difficulty; epidemiology; symptoms of depression