Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate oral discomfort factors in the elderly and to analyze the sociodemographic and health-related characteristics influencing their oral discomfort using multiple regression analysis. Methods: Facilities were selected based on the 2014 Elderly Welfare Facilities Status. Data was col-lected through the interview of 176 participants aged ≥65 years. The oral discomfort factors (10 items) were investigated using a 5-point Likert scale. The total oral discomfort scores were added for each of the 10 items investigated using the 5-point Likert scale. SPSS 12.0 program was used to analyze the descriptive statistics and perform a t-test and a stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: The oral discomfort factor with the highest score was g oral discomfort factorThe total oral discomfort score for women was significantly higher than that for men. ‘men. gnificantly higher thangen-derg were, respectively, the health-related and sociodemographic characteristics that most significantly influenced the total oral discomfort scores. Perceived oral health accounted for 30.4% of the total oral discomfort score, while gender accounted for 2%. Conclusions: Health-related characteristics were more significantly associated with oral discomfort than sociodemographic characteristics. Since sociodemographic characteristics are not easily changed, gov-ernment and healthcare providers should strive to improve the health of the elderly population.

Keywords: Elderly people, Elderly welfare facilities, Oral discomfort, Xerostomia