Association between oral health-related characteristics and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D) among patients with diabetes mellitus

Objectives: This study examined associations between oral health-related characteristics and health-related quality of life (EuroQol-5 Dimension, EQ-5D) among Korean patients with diabetes mellitus using 2024 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Methods: Data from 680 participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics, complex samples general linear modeling, and complex samples linear regression with SPSS Statistics (ver. 26.0; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: The mean EQ-5D index was 0.90 (SE=0.005). EQ-5D scores differed significantly by sex, age, household income, education, smoking, drinking, chewing discomfort, speaking discomfort, toothbrushing frequency, oral examination history, and unmet dental care needs. In the multivariable-adjusted model, EQ-5D was associated with male sex (B=0.058; 95% CI, 0.035 to 0.082), a 10-year increase in age (B=−0.011; 95% CI, −0.020 to −0.003), higher household income (B=0.040; 95% CI, 0.012 to 0.069), chewing discomfort (B=−0.031; 95% CI, −0.057 to −0.005), toothbrushing at least three times daily (B=0.017; 95% CI, 0.002 to 0.031), and unmet dental care needs (B=−0.028; 95% CI, −0.049 to −0.006). Conclusions: Quality of life among patients with diabetes mellitus was associated with general and oral health-related characteristics. Oral health programs should focus on alleviating chewing discomfort, promoting regular toothbrushing, and improving access to dental care.