Association between multimorbidity and periodontal disease in Korean adults: A nationwide cross‐sectional cohort study

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the association between multimorbidity, which refers to the presence of two or more chronic diseases, and periodontal disease in Korean adults using national survey data. Methods A total of 12,440 Korean adults aged ≥19 years were selected from the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). We investigated periodontal disease status based on various variables, including the gender, age, educational level, income level, smoking and alcohol drinking status, frequency of daily toothbrushing, and unmet dental treatment needs. Furthermore, periodontal status according to diagnosed chronic diseases, including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, stroke, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, and diabetes, was investigated, and the association between multimorbidity and periodontal disease was analysed through multiple logistic regression using SAS 9.4. Results According to the general characteristics of the study participants, the prevalence of periodontal disease was higher in males, smokers, older age, and lower educational and income levels (p