Analysis of the Effect of Daily Water Intake on Oral Health: Result from Seven Waves of a Population-Based Panel Study

Proper moisture is an essential condition for maintaining the homeostasis of the body, enhancing immunity, and preventing constipation, and it is an indispensable substance for maintaining human life and health. As the bacteria that cause oral disease are affected by water intake, there is a strong relationship between water intake and oral disease. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effect of daily water intake on oral disease. The data analyzed were from a seven-year period (2010–2017) from the National Health and Nutrition Survey, conducted annually by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Out of a total of 48,422 people, 134 people in the ‘<1 cup’ group, 27,223 people in the ‘1–4 cups’ group, 14,693 people in the ‘5–7 cups’ group and 6372 people in the ‘>7 cups’ group were selected as subjects. Each time a person drank one less cup of water per day, the prevalence of periodontal disease increased by 1.018 times, the prevalence of dental caries increased by 1.032 times, and the experience of dental caries increased by 1.075 times. Even in Model 2, for which age and gender were adjusted, there was a significant effect. In addition, there was a significant impact in Model 3, which adjusted for oral health behavior, except for permanent caries prevalence. Based on the above results, oral health behavior and state were positive in those who consumed more water per day. Therefore, it is suggested that the government’s active promotion of water intake recommendations and policies should be prepared to include water intake as a component of improving oral health.