OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the awareness of the students currently attending dental colleges/schools in Seoul regarding the scope of work done by a dental hygienist (DH) and a chair-side dental assistant (DA).METHODS: A direct questionnaire survey was conducted among 950 students who currently attend dental colleges/schools in Seoul. We were able to use a total of 458 samples for final analysis after excluding inappropriate ones. The contents of this structuralized survey included the obligation of proper name badge use for dental health care personnel, the legal work scopes of a DH and a DA in accordance with the revised execution of the ‘Legal Acts on Medical Technicians’, and the inclusion/exclusion of such contents from dental colleges/schools curricula. The results were statistically analyzed via the IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 software.RESULTS: Many subjects were aware of the difference in scope of work performed by a DH and a DA (P < 0.001), but not their legal obligation to wear appropriate name badges in accordance with the ‘Proposal for the Establishment of the Name Badge Standards for Healthcare Practitioners'. The subjects generally showed higher comprehension of the scope of work performed by a DH (74.3%) than that performed by a DA (57.7%). Without the presence of any corresponding curriculum, accurate responses tended to increase with the students' seniority. Most students (94.4%) agreed with the need to include a class that teaches the scope of work performed by a DH and a DA in their school curricula.CONCLUSIONS: We have found that education regarding ‘Name Badge Standards for Healthcare Practitioners’ and classification of a dental assistant's scope of work is lacking in the existing curriculum. Therefore, it is necessary to establish additional curriculum.
Classification ; Comprehension ; Curriculum ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dental Assistants ; Dental Hygienists ; Education ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Seoul ; Students, Dental

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the perception and needs of the caregivers of infants and children regarding oral health screening in order to identify the problems and the improvements required to increase their satisfaction with the oral health screening system. Methods: An online self-reported survey for the national oral health screening system was conducted for 200 parents raising infants and children in Seoul and the metropolitan area of Korea. The questionnaire for caregivers recorded their thoughts on the current problems, the improvements required in oral health screening, the necessity of screening, and the need for oral h ealth education. Results: The caregivers proposed many requests for precise examination and detailed explanation in the infants and children’s oral health screening and inclusion of simple preventive treatment measures during the screening. Although most parents (94.9%) recognized the necessity of oral checkups for their children, only 76.1% went ahead with the screening. The main reason for screening was prevention and early detection of dental caries. Regarding the need for education, the proportion of respondents receiving oral health education (43.1%) was lower than that of oral health screening (76.1%), even if oral health education and counseling were provided during the screening. The caregivers wanted to learn about the correct tooth brushing methods, causes and prevention of tooth decay, fluoride application, and preferred education methods such as hands-on training, education by dental experts, or visualization. Conclusions Understanding the perception and needs of caregivers regarding the infants and children’s oral health screening would contribute to improvements in the oral health screening system, thereby increasing their satisfaction.