Allergic Rhinitis is a Risk Factor for Poor Self-Rated Oral Health among Korean Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Self-rated oral health is a key indicator of clinical oral conditions and psychosocial factors.Allergic rhinitis, a prevalent chronic respiratory condition, may influence oral health through physiological and behavioral mechanisms.However, its effect on the perceived oral health of adults remain underexplored.This study examined the association between allergic rhinitis and self-rated oral health in a nationally representative Korean adult sample.Methods: Data from the 7th to 9th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (20162019, 2022) were analyzed, excluding 20202021 (coronavirus disease 2019-related data disruptions).The study included 24,056 adults, aged 19 years.Allergic rhinitis status was defined based on self-reported diagnoses corroborated by objective testing.Self-rated oral health was dichotomized as "good" or "poor".Complex sample cross-tabulations and logistic regression analyses were conducted after adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related covariates.Results: Of the participants, 17.2% reported having allergic rhinitis and 34.6% rated their oral health as poor.A greater proportion of adults with allergic rhinitis reported poor self-rated oral health (52.1%) than those without allergic rhinitis.In the unadjusted model, allergic rhinitis was significantly associated with poor self-rated oral health (odds ratio [OR] 1.423; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3071.549;p0.001).This association remained significant after adjustment (OR 1.122; 95% CI 1.0111.245;p=0.031).Conclusion: Allergic rhinitis is associated with an increased likelihood of poor self-rated oral health among Korean adults.These findings highlight the need for integrated health strategies that consider chronic respiratory conditions when developing oral health promotion programs.