Abstract
Objectives: International marriages in Korea has rapidly increased for the last decades. Women who has lived with Korean husband were called ‘multicultural women’. The aim of this study was to assess oral health status and treatment needs among multicultural family females. Methods: The study participants were recruited from multiculture family center in a metropolis. The final sample size was 215 women. Oral examination were conducted to obtain dental caries experience with DMFT/S index, treatment needs, and periodontal health with community periodontal index(CPI). An interview questionnaire was used to collect information on socioeconomic level and general characteristics related to oral state. The statistical analysis was done by using the SPSS 14.0 program. Results: The distribution of their nationality was China(40%), Vietnam(40%) and others as like Philippine, Cambodia, and Mongol etc. They were almost twenties and thirties and mainly has lived from 2006 year. Their socioeconomic status were likely lower and most of them were housewives. The prevalence of caries experience, periodontitis, denatl calculus, and treatment need for tooth removal, restoration, and prosthetics was 90.5%, 29.2%, 61.8%, and 81.5%, respectively. Conclusions: This study is the first report for multiculture family women’s oral health stauts in Korea. Their oral health status was poorer than those who were the same age in Korean female. More attention for multiculture family women will be needed in aspect of oral disease prevention and treatment.