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OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop a dentine hypersensitivity (DH) manual for a dental hospital. METHODS: The records of all DH patients who presented between 2005 to 2010 were analyzed to determine their age group, awareness of DH, and DH distribution before and after dental treatment. RESULTS: Out of 953,272 patients, data of 4,646 were analyzed. The male to female ratio of DH patients was found to be 1:1:1. The prevalence of DH was highest in patients in the age group of 40-49 years. The DH awareness rate was high to time, temperature and after dental treatment factor in the middle-age group. CONCLUSIONS: Since DH is widely prevalent and common, systematic screening is essential to ensure good oral health.
Dentin Sensitivity* ; Dentin* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Oral Health ; Prevalence*

The National Health Screening program has been implemented in Korea since 1980. First, we had searched recent scientific evidences and verified the accuracy of the data on target oral diseases. In order to determine the validity, we searched scientific bibliographic data and concluded that dental caries and periodontal disease were major oral problems. Second, we developed new improved forms for National Oral Health Screening. To improve these forms, we reviewed previous forms and gathered expert opinions. The new forms were consistent with the examination forms given to all age groups, and information on oral health conditions, dental education needs, and post-treatment care was included in the modified forms. We then designed manuals for dentists, which contained information on the screening criteria as well as consultation and patient education guidelines. The manuals were divided into three parts, including explanation of the screening criteria, standard of the decision, and education and consultation guidelines. By using these new and modified National Oral Health Screening forms, we expect an improvement in the National Oral Health Screening Program and enhancement in the oral health condition of patients.
Adult ; Counseling ; Dental Caries ; Dentists ; Education ; Education, Dental ; Expert Testimony ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Mass Screening* ; Oral Health* ; Patient Education as Topic ; Periodontal Diseases ; Tooth Diseases

OBJECTIVES: To verify the clusters of oral health-related behaviors by gender for adolescents in Gangneung, and to assess the influences of psychosocial factors (family socioeconomic status factors, individual economic factors, and psychological factors) on these clusters. METHODS: A survey was conducted of 3,611 adolescents (6th grade students in primary school, 2nd grade students in middle school, and 2nd grade students in high school) in Gangneung. The response rate was 96.6% (1,846 boys; 1,765 girls). The data were collected via self-administered structured questionnaires assessing participants 'smoking experience,' 'tooth brushing,' 'consumption of crackers or soft drinks,' and 'consumption of fruits or vegetables.' K-means cluster analysis was used to cluster the oral health-related behaviors by gender. A chi-square test was used to assess the difference between the clusters for oral health-related behaviors by gender and psychosocial factors. RESULTS: Clusters of oral health related-behaviors were classified into the unhealthy group (group 1; bad oral health-related behaviors), healthy group (group 2; good behaviors), and complex group (group 3; low smoking experiences and complex other behaviors). The clusters were different by gender. In the unhealthy group, boys represented 19.9% while, in the healthy group, girls represented 47.3%, which are both higher than the theoretical rates. Psychosocial factors in the unhealthy group were significantly lower than the healthy group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Meaningful clusters of oral health-related behaviors by gender were identified. Furthermore, the clusters were different by psychosocial factors. This finding suggests that one of the best ways to enhance oral health for adolescents is to develop oral health promotion programs for each oral health-related behavior cluster.
Adolescent* ; Female ; Fruit ; Gangweon-do* ; Humans ; Oral Health ; Psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Social Class

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors affecting the survival of permanent second molars in Korean adults using logistic regression analysis. METHODS: This National survey was conducted in 2006 and was performed in 3 stages comprising stratified sampling, age, sex, and region. This study included 15,777 persons, aged 2-95 years. The raw data was analyzed using SPSS software v12.0 and the relationship between the 9 variables and the tooth survival rate was analyzed by frequency and cross-tabulation. Logistic regression analysis using the functional weightage of the age, sex, regions of the Korean population was also performed. Entry was at level of 5%, while removal was at a 10% level during logistic regression analysis. The nine variables used for analysis were age, socio-economic level, monthly family income, sex, frequency of toothbrushing per day, diabetes, educational level, smoking, and frequency of snack intake per day. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: The most significant explanatory variables, in increasing order of significance, were age, socioeconomic status, and diabetes. As age increased by 10 years, the survival rate of second molars decreased at a slow rate 7.5% to 9.5%. The survival rate of the second molar of an individual engaged in activities, such as farming, stock breeding, and fishing decreased from 64.4% to 78.8% as compared to people at high positions in various companies and in society.
Adult* ; Breeding ; Humans ; Logistic Models* ; Molar* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Snacks ; Social Class ; Survival Rate ; Tooth ; Toothbrushing

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the busyness of dentists and analyzed factors related to busyness in these professionals. METHODS: The subjects were 243 practicing dentists. Surveys were carried out via mail. Busyness was measured by using the Mumma scale. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: The dentists' busyness index was 1.91. Of the participants, 40% of practicing dentists wanted more patients, 30.8% did not overwork but did not want more patients, and 27.1% overworked and did not want more patients. The busyness index was significantly related to the number of dental hygienists and dentists. However, it did not differ with respect to the number of assistant nurses. CONCLUSIONS: The busyness index should be considered when developing relevant human resource plans.
Dental Hygienists ; Dentists* ; Humans ; Postal Service

OBJECTIVES: The topic of patient safety has recently gained attention across healthcare institutes. Building a broad awareness of patient safety issues among dental care personnel, thus establishing a sound patient safety culture, has beneficial prophylactic effects on the quality assurance of dental care services. This study examines the adequacy and validity of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) questionnaire developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) for application to Korean dental care institutes. METHODS: The HSOPSC, which is a self-administered questionnaire survey, was administered to dental care workers who participated in the 2011 Dental Care Quality Assurance Symposium. The reliability and construct validity of the questionnaire were tested using STATA 11.0; factor, reliability, and correlation analyses were performed. RESULTS: Awareness of patient safety was dealt with in 10 subareas comprising 38 items. The 10 subareas were included patient safety policy at the institute level, open communication, patient safety-related expectations and behaviors of managers, frequency of reporting on patient safety-related incidents, and teamwork within the department. Both the construct validity and internal consistency of each factor were confirmed to be adequate. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the adequacy test for the application of this questionnaire to dental care institutes revealed that most items had a certain level of validity and reliability. However, it is necessary to reflect upon the specificity of dental care services to assess patient safety culture within dental care institutes more accurately.
Academies and Institutes ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dental Care ; Dentistry* ; Health Services Research ; Humans ; Patient Safety* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to identify discrepancies in oral health behaviors among communities in cities, counties, and districts (si , gun, and gu administrative divisions of South Korea) and to determine their correlations with socioeconomic status, examined in terms of the social deprivation index. METHODS: Data for 220,258 individuals, covering 247 communities, were extracted from a 2008 community health survey, and the frequency of brushing the teeth after lunch, flossing and interdental brushing was calculated and analyzed. Considering the characteristics of the data collected at individual and regional levels, a multilevel random-intercept logistic regression model was used for the analysis. RESULTS: A regional-level discrepancy was found in after-lunch brushing and the use of auxiliary oral hygiene items, with interclass correlations of 0.03 and 0.04, respectively. In particular, the odds ratio of using auxiliary oral hygiene items in the communities with the lowest socioeconomic status was as low as 0.49, compared to the highest level, thus demonstrating a conspicuous intercommunity difference. CONCLUSIONS: The regional-level correlation between socioeconomic status and oral health behaviors indicates the need for the establishment of oral health-related intervention policies based on community characteristics.
Health Surveys ; Logistic Models ; Lunch ; Multilevel Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Oral Health* ; Oral Hygiene ; Social Class ; Tooth

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the oral health care behavior of nursing home employees caring for elderly residents. METHODS: Subjects were 480 nursing home workers living in Seoul recruited using convenience sampling. They completed a self-report survey. RESULTS: Results showed that 84.6% of respondents reporting having brushed the teeth of the elderly residents, while 81.7% brushed their dentures. Further, 62.3% reported having received at least one session of oral health care training. When asked to identify the problem with oral health care for the elderly residents, the most common answer was "lack of knowledge on oral health care." Further, respondents most frequently found "proper way of brushing teeth" followed by "methods to prevent periodontal diseases" the oral care topics on which they needed information. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to develop an oral health care education program for employees of nursing homes for elderly adults.
Adult ; Aged* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Dentures ; Education ; Humans ; Methods ; Nursing Homes* ; Nursing* ; Oral Health* ; Seoul ; Tooth

OBJECTIVES: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effect of dental amalgam, a restorative material, on children by measuring the mercury concentration in the urine as well as the number of teeth filled with dental amalgam. METHODS: Twenty children enrolled in grades 1-4 of two elementary schools in Daegu participated in this study. One trained dentist performed oral examinations and removed amalgam restorations from the teeth with a high and low speed handpiece. In order to measure the urinary mercury concentrations, urine samples were collected from all participants at baseline and immediately and 24 hours after removal of the dental amalgam restorations. RESULTS: The mean number of teeth from which the amalgam restorations was removed was 9.8 while the mean urinary mercury concentrations at baseline, immediately, and 24 hours after removal of dental amalgam restorations were 2.66, 2.76, and 2.76 microg/g creatinine, respectively. The mean urinary mercury concentration increased consistently after amalgam restoration removal. For those participants whose removed amalgamated surfaces were more than 11, the mean urinary mercury concentration immediately after amalgam restoration removal and 24 hours after removal increased consistently but showed no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that dental amalgam restoration was related to urinary mercury concentration, and these findings present a possibility of mercury accumulation in the body. Therefore, we suggest future longitudinal studies to ensure the safety of children exposed to mercury by establishing criteria for amalgam removal.
Child* ; Creatinine ; Daegu ; Dental Amalgam ; Dentists ; Diagnosis, Oral ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Pilot Projects* ; Tooth