OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the job satisfaction level of the dental staff working at oral health centers for people with disabilities. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted with 73 dentists and dental hygienists working at seven regional oral health centers for people with special needs and dental hospitals for people with disabilities in Seoul. The questionnaire consisted of seven questions across two subscales: general satisfaction (4 questions) and satisfaction with wage and welfare (3 questions). The internal consistency of the questionnaire items was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (0.80). The responses were analyzed using a t-test with SPSS (version 23.0). RESULTS: Of the 73 dental staff members, 50% were dentists, 64% were women, and participants' average age was 30 years. In total, 58% of the participants had up to five years of experience working with people with disabilities, 42% of them worked full-time, and each participant treated an average of 200 patients with disabilities per month. The participants reported that their salary was relatively low. Dental hygienists had higher satisfaction level than dentists in the institution's welfare work. The more full-time workers answered, the more suitable they are for their work. CONCLUSIONS: The job satisfaction level of most professionals working in oral health centers for people with disabilities was not very high but they felt rewarded by their welfare work. It was inferred that it is necessary to examine and improve institutional support aspects such as human resource support. Increasing the number of centers in the central region is also needed.
Dental Hygienists ; Dental Staff ; Dentists ; Disabled Persons ; Female ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Oral Health ; Reward ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists (DHs).METHODS: A total of 271 self-administered questionnaires were obtained from 280 DHs working at dental hospitals or clinics in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea.RESULTS: The occupational hazards included work involving dust (94.1%), volatile substances (86.0%), noise (97.0%), and light-curing units (96.7%). The proportion of dental hygiene tasks that participants perceived as harmful were 42.4%, 51.7%, 9.2%, and 31.4% in the same order as above. The proportion of participants who used dust-proof masks during work involving dust was 1.1%. Those who wore gas-proof masks and gloves for work using volatile substances were 0.7% and 31.2%, respectively. Participants who used goggles for work involving light-curing units were 31.0%. None of the participants used ear plugs for work involving noise. A total of 22.9% of the participants recognized the Material Safety Data Sheet, while 79.7% had never been educated about harmful work environments.CONCLUSION: When compared to exposure status and perception of occupational hazards, the level of protective equipment use was very low. Extra measures to increase DHs’ use of personal protective equipment are necessary.
Daegu ; Dental Hygienists ; Dust ; Ear ; Eye Protective Devices ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Masks ; Material Safety Data Sheets ; Noise ; Occupations ; Oral Hygiene ; Personal Protective Equipment

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze correlations between depression, cognitive function, oral health state, ability to perform activities of daily living, oral dryness symptoms, and oral health-related quality of life, and determine factors influencing the latter.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study based on questionnaires completed by 260 participants with suspected dementia, residing in South Korea. Psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and dental hygienists visited clinics in the participating regions for examination and questionnaire administration. General characteristics, the geriatric depression scale, ability to perform activities of daily living, cognitive function, oral health state, and oral health-related quality of life were analyzed. Independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted, identifying factors affecting oral health-related quality of life. Data analysis was performed using SPSS ver. 20.0 (IBM Corp., USA), and the significance was set at p<0.05.RESULTS: Approximately 65.0% of participants were female, 63.5% were in their 70s, and 90.0% had health insurance. About 21.5%, 42.0%, and 36.5% were normal, slightly impaired, and had dementia, respectively. High cognitive impairment was associated with poor oral health. Sex, education levels, marital status, and living arrangements influenced oral health-related quality of life. According to the regression analysis, geriatric depression and oral dryness affected the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index scores.CONCLUSION: In conclusion, oral dryness and depression levels among elders influenced oral health-related quality of life. The results showed that to enhance elders' oral health-related quality of life, it is essential to not only improve their oral health state, but also relieve oral health problems, especially oral dryness, and take into consideration their psychological aspects.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Cognition ; Cognition Disorders ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dementia ; Dental Hygienists ; Depression ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Marital Status ; Oral Health ; Psychiatry ; Quality of Life ; Residence Characteristics ; Statistics as Topic

BACKGROUND: This descriptive study aimed to examine the relationship between the 4C core competencies and work ability among dental hygienists.METHODS: From November 2018 to January 2019, data were collected-from 190 dental hygienists workong in dental clinics in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam province using structured questionnaires. For the general characteristics of the dental hygienists, frequency and percentage were calculated, and the level of the 4C core competencies and work ability of dental hygienists was calculated using means and standard deviations. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyze the effects of the 4C core competencies on work ability.RESULTS: The mean scores for the 4C core competency levels of the dental hygienists were as follows: communication ability 3.34, critical thinking ability 3.41, creative problem-solving 3.40, and collaborative self-efficacy 3.27. Meanwhile the mean score for work ability level was 3.65. The predictive factors influencing work ability were communication ability and cooperative self-efficacy (p<0.001), and the sub-factors of critical thinking ability that affect work ability were sound conferences (p<0.01), intellectual fairness (p<0.05), intellectual enthusiasm (p<0.05), and self-confidence (p<0.001). Finally, the sub-factors of creative problem-solving ability that affect work ability were planning and execution (p<0.01) and performance evaluation (p<0.05).CONCLUSION: The current study showed that education programs covering the core competencies of dental hygienists, rather than the existing theoretical education program, should be developed and implemented to enhance 4C core competencies that affect work ability.
Busan ; Communication ; Congresses as Topic ; Dental Clinics ; Dental Hygienists ; Education ; Humans ; Problem Solving ; Thinking ; Ulsan

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: There is currently little research on dental hygienists' interest and need related to oral care. To perform elderly oral care effectively, dental hygienists must understand the features of aging in the elderly. The purpose of this study is to investigate how dental hygienists' interest affects oral care for the elderly.METHODS: 232 dental hygienists completed a self-reported questionnaire from March to April 2019. The questionnaires consisted of general characteristics of the subjects (6 items), elderly patient experience (11 items), and questions regarding aging (7 items). This study analyzed collected data by frequency analysis, ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis.RESULTS: Correlation analysis between concern, need, and participation in elderly oral care showed a significant amount of correlation among all variables. We found that gender (P=0.022), education level (P=0.029), workplace type (P=0.002), and the proportion of future elderly patients were statistically significant (P=0.001) factors affecting the level of concern.CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that experience in treating and caring for the elderly are essential factors for raising the interest and understanding of oral health care for elderly patients. Therefore, we should consider the development of various programs to raise interest in oral health for the elderly.
Aged ; Aging ; Dental Hygienists ; Education ; Humans ; Oral Health

PURPOSE: This study examined the work-related musculoskeletal pain and quality of life of hospital workers.METHODS: Self-reported questionnaires were sent to 350 hospital workers at Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, of which 341 were returned. The questionnaire had four items that covered the demographic information, areas of musculoskeletal problems, pain rating scale, and quality of life. The analysis was completed using descriptive statistic, and the differences between pain and demographic variables were identified using a chi-square test. The differences between the type of occupation and quality of life were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and a Kruskal-Wallis test.RESULTS: The 12-month prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal pain was 86.1% of physical therapists, 86.5% of occupational therapists, 77.1% of dental hygienists, and 75.8% of nurses. A significant difference in the general and work related variables was observed between the subject with a physical burden and type of occupation. The most affected pain sites of the physical therapist included low back, hand and wrist, shoulder, and neck. The occupational therapists included the hand and wrist, shoulder, neck, but the nurses and dental hygienists reported the shoulder, back, hand and wrist. A significant difference in the quality of life was noted between the subjects in physical therapists and dental hygienists and the subjects in the nurses and occupational therapists (p=0.00).CONCLUSION: These findings show that hospital workers appear to be high risk for work-related musculoskeletal pain, and the quality of life of physical therapists and nurses was higher than that of dental hygienists and occupational therapists.
Dental Hygienists ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hand ; Humans ; Musculoskeletal Pain ; Neck ; Occupations ; Physical Therapists ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Seoul ; Shoulder ; Wrist

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to provide basic data to establish a foundation for efficient operation of the organization by assessing the effects of self-efficacy and job stress (measured by self-efficacy, job demand, and job autonomy) on organizational commitment among clinical dental hygienists. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey study that used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data. After institutional review board approval, a survey was conducted from January to May 2017, targeting dental hygienists working in dental clinics and hospitals. The final 199 questionnaires were analyzed with PASW 18.0 for Windows (IBM Corp.). The data were analyzed using mean and/or standard deviation t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The means for self-efficacy, job demand, job autonomy, and organizational commitment were 55.94±9.65, 26.55±2.29, 20.24±3.88, and 49.49±8.39, respectively. Along with self-efficacy, the other factors of organizational commitment among dental hygienists that were statistically significant included job autonomy, mean salary (2,500~2,990 thousand Korean won [KRW] and ≥3,000 thousand KRW), and employee welfare (good), which are sub-areas of the surface acting. In other words, it was found that the higher the mean salary, the better the employee welfare, the higher self-efficacy, and the higher the organizational commitment, and the explanatory power of the model was approximately 42.1%. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the higher the self-efficacy, job autonomy, mean salary, and employee welfare, the higher the organizational commitment. In order to improve job demand among dental hygienists, it is necessary to establish an effective plan to improve job welfare, self-efficacy, and job autonomy.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dental Clinics ; Dental Hygienists ; Ethics Committees, Research ; Humans ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the effects of critical thinking and good communication skills on the problem-solving abilities of dental hygiene students. METHODS: A total of 508 dental hygiene students were convenience-sampled from 3 universities. RESULTS: The results revealed that critical thinking had the highest intellectual fairness score of 3.60, and systematicity was the lowest at 3.19. The values for communication skills were high in reaction, social adequacy, and concentration, with an average of 3.65. Problem-solving abilities were in the following order: clarification of the problem, seeking solutions, and decision making. According to general characteristics, more extroverted personalities possessed higher levels of critical thinking, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities (p<0.01). Critical thinking scores were high (p=0.016) in students who responded that peer relationship was difficult; however, their communication skills were the lowest (p<0.001). Additionally, problem-solving abilities were highest among students who reported a difficult peer relationship (p=0.001). The higher the satisfaction with dental hygiene academics, the higher the critical thinking, communication skill, and problem-solving ability (p<0.001). Critical thinking showed a high positive correlation with variables in the following order: clarification of the problem, performing the solutions, seeking solutions, decision making, and evaluation and reflection. The communication skills were also related to these variables listed above (p<0.01). With critical thinking, confidence, watchfulness, intellectual passion/curiosity, sound skepticism, objectivity, and systematicity all influenced the problem-solving ability. CONCLUSION: Communication skills were influenced by noise control, putting on the other's shoe, social tensions, and efficiency, which affected the problem-solving ability. Dental clinics require dental hygienists to have critical thinking to make analytical judgments and effective communication skills to solve human relation problems with patients and care-givers. Therefore, these skills should be developed in dental hygiene students to improve their problem-solving abilities.
Decision Making ; Dental Clinics ; Dental Hygienists ; Humans ; Judgment ; Noise ; Oral Hygiene ; Shoes ; Thinking

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify the types of adult attachment and determine the relationship between adult attachment and job factors in dental hygienists. Ultimately, it was necessary to identify the need for a secure attachment to improve the quality of clinical dental hygienist's services. METHODS: Data of 454 clinical dental hygienists working in dental hospitals or clinics were collected. The research tools consisted of items related to the general and work characteristics of dental hygienists (9 items), adult attachment styles (36 items), organizational commitments (12 items), occupational stress (15 items), and interpersonal relations (18 items). Cronbach's α of each tool was ≥0.7. RESULTS: Most of the participants had fearful attachment styles, followed by dismissing-avoidance, security, and preoccupation. Security was the highest level of organizational commitment according to the adult attachment style, although the differences of the levels were insignificant. For occupational stress, preoccupation was the highest, followed by fearful, security, and dismissing-avoidance, and the differences were significant (p<0.001). For interpersonal relations, security was the highest, followed by preoccupation, dismissing-avoidance, and fearful in order, and the differences were significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Job stress and interpersonal relation ability according to the adult attachment style of clinical dental hygienists had significant results. Thus, the development of attachment improvement programs by personal style, development of differentiated clinical education and its application, and improvements in the adult attachment styles of clinical dental hygienists would be required rather than simply presenting the needs to collectively improvement the working environment.
Adult ; Dental Hygienists ; Education ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations