Suggestion of Learning Objectives in Social Dental Hygiene: Oral Health Administration Area / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study is to propose learning objectives in social dental hygiene by analyzing and reviewing learning objectives in oral health administration area of the existing public oral health. This study is a cross-sectional study. The subjects of the study selected with convenience extraction were 15 members of the social dental hygiene subcommittee of the Korean Society of Dental Hygiene Science. Data collection was conducted by self-filling questionnaire. The research tool is from 48 items of A division in the book of learning objectives in the dental hygienist national examination, and this study classified each of them into ‘dental hygiene job relevance’, ‘dental hygiene competency relevance’, ‘timeliness’, and ‘value discrimination of educational goal setting’ to comprise 192 items. Also, to collect expert opinions, this study conducted Delphi survey on 7 academic experts. Statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 23.0 program (IBM Co., Armonk, NY, USA). Recoding was performed according to the degree of relevance of each learning objective and frequency analysis was performed. This study removed 18 items from the whole learning objectives in the dental hygienist national examination in the oral health administration area of public oral health. Fifteen revisions were made and 15 existing learning objectives were maintained. Forty-five learning objectives were proposed as new social dental hygiene learning objectives. The topics of learning objectives are divided into social security and medical assistance, oral health care system, oral health administration, and oral health policy. As a result of this study, it was necessary to construct the learning objectives of social dental hygiene in response to changing situation at the time. The contents of education should be revised in order of revision of learning objectives, development of competency, development of learning materials, and national examination.

Risk factors for tooth loss over 3 years according to the number of pre-existing teeth: data from a rural cohort / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for tooth loss over three years, according to the number of pre-existing teeth, in middle and old aged people in a rural area. METHODS: This was a 3-year follow-up study including participants from KoGES-ARIRANG. Eight-hundred and fifty-five participants took part in both initial and follow-up oral examinations and surveys, conducted between 2010 and 2016. The number of existing teeth was determined through oral examination, and the subjects' sociodemographic characteristics, subjective periodontal statuses, and oral health behaviors were identified through oral questionnaires via 1:1 interviews. Chi-square analysis was used to compare tooth loss in participants with less than 20 pre-existing teeth to tooth loss in those with 20 or more pre-existing teeth. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors for tooth loss. RESULTS: Four-hundred and thirty-nine (51.4%) subjects lost more than one tooth over three years. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, subjective periodontal statuses, and oral health behaviors in subjects with 20 or more pre-existing teeth, the odds for tooth loss were as follows: 2.11 (1.42-3.14) times higher in people aged over 65 years compared to less than 65 years, 1.59 (1.06-2.38) times higher in those with a low (below elementary school) compared to high educational level, and 2.01 (1.33-3.02) times higher in those with a severe compared to normal subjective periodontal status. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of tooth loss was different in subjects with less than 20 pre-existing teeth compared to those with 20 or more pre-existing teeth. Therefore, the approach to prevent tooth loss should be different depending on the number of teeth present.

Evaluation of a Community-based participatory professional periodontal care program for hypertension and diabetes patients / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) professional periodontal care program model for patients with hypertension and diabetes. METHODS: This descriptive case study included 151 participants of the professional periodontal care program. The CBPR-based professional periodontal care program consists of 5-steps: ‘Issue identification and prioritization’ (Step 1), ‘Strategy development’ (Step 2), ‘Entry into community’ (Step 3), ‘Implementation’ (Step 4), and ‘Transition’ (Step 5). Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency analysis, and descriptive data with PASW 23.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The results of the Focus group interview (FGI) were classified as ‘general opinions regarding the program planning and operation receptiveness’, ‘sustainability’, ‘potential spread of the program’, and ‘improvement of program’. The interviews were qualitative research involving seven people. RESULTS: 1. Participants increased their interest in health and oral health by managing their hypertension, diabetes, and periodontal disease using community resources. Through this, healthy practices and improved awareness helped to prevent complications and manage periodontal diseases. 2. Community organizations actively cooperated, resulting in positive changes in oral health practices (increased registration of patients in education centers for hypertension and diabetes, and increased number of patients visiting the local dental clinic). In the future, it was positive to participate in the program continuously. CONCLUSIONS: The most important step is ‘Entry into community’, which has led to active participation and cooperation of community organizations and participants. Therefore, community organizations and strategy development should be discussed, and the role of community leaders should be emphasized to build cooperative relationships. In addition, participation in and collaboration with health-based projects should be achieved through a search of various community organizations.

Distribution of the Korean Dental Hygiene Research Agenda Suggested by the Korean Dental Hygienists Association and Affiliated Groups / 치위생과학회지

The objective of this study was to realize research demands by gathering the research agenda from the Korean Dental Hygienists Association and affiliated groups through a Delphi survey. The study subjects were the heads of eight groups. The Delphi survey was conducted by e-mail after a researcher explained the objective of the study to the heads. The research agenda was classified according to the Korean dental hygiene academic classification and the National Dental Hygiene Research Agenda classification. To compare the number of research agendas according to classification among the groups, we conducted a chi-squared test by using IBM SPSS 20.0. In total, 316 agendas were submitted. According to the Korean dental hygiene academic classification, there was a significant difference among the groups, and the agendas associated with clinical dental hygiene (36.7%) were the best. According to the National Dental Hygiene Research Agenda classification, there was no significant difference and the agendas associated with health promotion and disease prevention (27.8%) were the best. In conclusion, the Korean Dental Hygienists Association and affiliated groups demanded similar research agendas, corresponding to the purpose of each establishment. However, the groups did not seem to show unique characteristics according to the purpose of each establishment. In other words, the groups should corroborate such characteristics and suggest a corresponding agenda to establish specific areas of research in dental hygiene. Also, dental hygiene researchers should mark the academic classification of the studies they want to submit.