The Influence of Dental Hygiene Student’s Communication Ability and Conflict Management Types on Adaptation to College Life / 치위생과학회지

Background@#The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dental hygiene students’ communication ability and conflict management types on adaptation to college life improve adaptation to college life and to suggest strategies to play a role as a professional dental hygienist in clinical practice. @*Methods@#The subjects of this study were selected by random sample extraction of dental hygiene students from two colleges in Gyeonggi and one Chungcheong area. The survey was conducted online for dental hygiene students from July 20 to October 31, 2020. In order to comply with research ethics, this study was investigated with the consent of the subjects. The sample was analyzed for the final 351. @*Results@#Dental hygiene students’ communication ability was 3.74 points, conflict management types was 3.01 points, and adaptation to college life was 3.30 points. In the type of conflict management according to the general characteristics, the problem-solving method, the avoidance method, the compromise method, and the concession method showed statistically significant differences in major satisfaction. Among the types of conflict management, the highest positive correlation (r=0.613) was shown in the relationship between the problem-solving method and the compromise method. Factors influencing the adaptation to college life were concentration, forced method, self-disclosure, conversational coherence, and social relaxation. @*Conclusion@#This study is significant in that it derives sub-areas of communication ability and conflict management types that influence adaptation to college life. In the future, there is a need to improve the quality of dental hygienists by continuously conducting research on the types of conflict management targeting dental hygienists, and responding more proactively and actively to conflict situations in the clinical field.

The Utilization of Dental Hygienists in Oral Healthcare Exchanges between the South and North Korea / 치위생과학회지

Background@#This study aimed to identify the role of dental hygienists in exchanges between North and South Korea to lower gaps in the level of dental healthcare between the two countries by conducting a Delphi survey with specialists and identifying alternative policies regarding the utilization of dental hygienists in such exchanges. @*Methods@#Two Delphi surveys were conducted with the participation of nine specialists, and descriptive statistical analyses including mean and standard deviation were performed on the collected data. @*Results@#Among methods of exchange and cooperation regarding oral healthcare under the current North Korean medical system, the issue considered most urgent was the “establishment of oral healthcare infrastructure.” The most important short-term strategy was identified as the “selection and formation of partnerships in the field of inter-Korean oral health exchange and cooperation.” The mid-term strategy was identified as the “establishment of cooperation in the dental industry, centered on educational cooperation projects.” The long-term strategy included “joint R&D projects, oral health surveys, and business development.” In order to determine how best to use dental hygienists during inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation, the respondents placed urgency on the “establishment of joint cooperation projects for oral health promotion and early examination and the treatment of dental diseases and planning of community research projects” and “the role of oral health education and media development for residents.” Conclusion: Cooperation is necessary regarding the preparation of oral healthcare exchanges that aim to encourage unity between North and South Korea and reduce the gaps between the North and South regarding oral health conditions. Therefore, continuous and reasonable discussions and research are needed regarding the utilization of dental hygienists in such exchanges.

Analysis of Dental Hygienist Job Recognition Using Text Mining / 치위생과학회지

Background@#The aim of this study was to analyze the public demand for information about the job of dental hygienists by mining text data collected from the online Q & A section on an Internet portal site. @*Methods@#Text data were collected from inquiries that were posted on the Naver Q & A section from January 2003 to July 2020 using “dental hygienist job recognition,” “role recognition,” “medical assistance,” and “scaling” as search keywords. Text mining techniques were used to identify significant Korean words and their frequency of occurrence. In addition, the association between words was analyzed. @*Results@#A total of 10,753 Korean words related to the job of dental hygienists were extracted from the text data. “Chi-lyo (treatment),” “chigwa (dental clinic),” “ske-illing (scaling),” “itmom (gum),” and “chia (tooth)” were the five most frequently used words. The words were classified into the following areas of job of the dental hygienist: periodontal disease treatment and prevention, medical assistance, patient care and consultation, and others. Among these areas, the number of words related to medical assistance was the largest, with sixty-six association rules found between the words, and “chi-lyo,” “chigwa,” and “ske-illing” as core words. @*Conclusion@#The public demand for information about the job of dental hygienists was mainly related to “chi-lyo,” “chigwa,” and “ske-illing” as core words, demonstrating that scaling is recognized by the public as the job of a dental hygienist. However, the high demand for information related to treatment and medical assistance in the context of dental hygienists indicates that the job of dental hygienists is recognized by the public as being more focused on medical assistance than preventive dental care that are provided with job autonomy.

Correlation between Dental Hygiene Student’s Gender Sensitivity and Gender Role Stereotypes / 치위생과학회지

Background@#The purpose of this study is to identify the gender sensitivity and gender role stereotypes of students in dental hygiene and to provide basic data to expand social awareness of equal gender sensitivity and gender role in dental hygiene and students by identifying the degree of correlation. @*Methods@#The purpose of this study was to study dental hygiene students at colleges in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong areas. The survey was conducted from April 1 to April 30, 2021. The final sample was analyzed on 157 subjects. T-test and ANOVA analysis were performed to compare gender sensitivity and gender role stereotypes according to general characteristics. Equal variances were tested using the Levene statistic, and significant differences between groups were identified through Scheffe’s post hoc analysis. Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to confirm the correlation between gender sensitivity and gender role stereotypes. @*Results@#Gender sensitivity was 2.69 and gender role stereotypes were 1.83. Among the sub-areas of gender sensitivity, gender role openness was the highest at 2.86, and non-violence was the lowest at 2.50. As for gender role stereotypes, social stereotypes were the highest among sub-areas at 1.71. Among the general characteristics, there was a statistically significant difference in gender sensitivity according to the presence or absence of opposite sex friends (p=0.011). The gender identity openness of gender sensitivity and the physical sub-areas of gender role stereotypes showed the highest positive correlation(r=0.955). Among the sub-areas of gender sensitivity, gender role openness and domestic stereotypes showed the lowest negative correlation (r=−0.404) among the sub-areas of gender role stereotypes. @*Conclusion@#Dental hygiene students should be able to critically analyze and solve problems of not only sexual violence but also gender discrimination and imbalance in social life. For this, environmental factors such as school education and professor guidance must be strengthened.

Rapid Spread of COVID-19! What Are the Cases of COVID-19 Infection in Dental Clinics in Korea? / 치위생과학회지

As of August 2020, the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases around the world was about 22 million and the number of deaths was about 770,000 1) . The virus was first discovered in China and it spread to South Korea, Europe, and the United States. Currently, it is prevalent in the Americas, India, and the Middle East as well.COVID-19 is transmitted through air droplets. South Korea has been successful in controlling the spread of infection using a strict quarantine system and public health awareness on measures such as hand washing and the wearing of masks. However, following the group infections in Shincheonji, Itaewon, and recently the Sarangjeil church, South Korea has active cases. Although dental clinics in Korea generate significant aerosol that may facilitate droplet infections, they have recorded no cases 2) .There are rare cases in Korea, and asymptomatic patients may have visited dentists; however, no case has been reported, and this may be attributed to the effectiveness of the wearing of masks and gloves and infection control in dental clinics.In Korea, the Dental Infection Control Standard Policy & Procedure 3) established infection control systems classified into: (1) standard precautions/occupational safety; (2) 2019 (COVID-19) cases around the world was about 22 million and the number of deaths was about 770,000 1) . The virus was first discovered in China and it spread to South Korea, Europe, and the United States. Currently, it is prevalent in the Americas, India, and the Middle East as well.COVID-19 is transmitted through air droplets. South Korea has been successful in controlling the spread of infection using a strict quarantine system and public health awareness on measures such as hand washing and the wearing of masks. However, following the group infections in Shincheonji, Itaewon, and recently the Sarangjeil church, South Korea has active cases. Although dental clinics in Korea generate significant aerosol that may facilitate droplet infections, they have recorded no cases 2) .There are rare cases in Korea, and asymptomatic patients may have visited dentists; however, no case has been reported, and this may be attributed to the effectiveness of the wearing of masks and gloves and infection control in dental clinics.In Korea, the Dental Infection Control Standard Policy & Procedure 3) established infection control systems classified into: (1) standard precautions/occupational safety; (2) instrument reprocessing; (3) environmental and waterline management of dental institutions; (4) special infection control, which covers guidelines on infection control and precautions such as hand washing and the wearing of personal protective equipment. The current status of infection control in dental clinics may provide insights into solutions for preventing COVID-19 infections. With the increasing prevalence of severe viral diseases such as COVID-19, thorough infection control and continued research is paramount.

Influence of Job Embeddedness and Resilience on Turnover Intention in Dental Hygienists / 치위생과학회지

Background@#Maintaining a skilled workforce by minimizing the turnover of competent dental hygienists is very important for securing dental competitiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to find a predictor of turnover and lower turnover intention. To understand dental hygienist turnover, it is necessary to study the resilience, a positive factor of personal characteristics and job embeddedness that induces residual tissue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dental hygienists’ job embeddedness and resilience on turnover intention. @*Methods@#A survey was conducted on licensed dental hygienists nationwide, from March 19 to July 19, 2020. T-test and one way ANOVA analysis were performed to compare the job embeddedness, resilience, and turnover intention according to the general characteristics. Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to identify the correlation between job embeddedness, resilience, and turnover intention. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the effect on the turnover intention. @*Results@#Job embeddedness was the highest with link and resilience scoring 3.57 and 4.16, respectively. The turnover intention scored 3.53. Among the general characteristics, age, marriage, total dental clinic career, education degree, and position showed statistically significant differences in job embeddedness, resilience, and turnover intention. Suitability, link, and sacrifice of job embeddedness were shown to affect the degree of turnover intention, with an explanatory power of 26.2%. @*Conclusion@#In order to reduce the dental hygienists’ turnover intention, job embeddedness and resilience should be increased.Thus, measures should be undertaken for professional and systematic program development and human resources management.

The Relationship between Smartphone Use and Oral Health in Adolescents / 치위생과학회지

Background@#Smartphones are a modern necessity. While they are convenient to use, smartphones also have side effects such as addiction. This study assessed the relationship between smartphone use, a part of everyday life in modern society, and oral health. @*Methods@#An analysis was conducted using 2017 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey data. The propensity score estimation algorithm used logistic regression and 1:1 matching algorithm using nearest-neighbor matching. After matching, a total of 15,032 participants were classified into two groups containing 7,516 teenagers each who did and did not use smartphones, respectively. @*Results@#Comparison of oral health behaviors according to smartphone use revealed a statistically significant difference in the frequency of tooth brushing per day, use of oral hygiene products, intake of foods harmful to oral health, and experience of oral health education (p＜0.05). The factors affecting oral pain experience of adolescents were examined. Compared to male participants, female participants had an odds ratio of 1.627 for oral pain (p＜0.05). According to the household income level, compared to the group with higher income, the group with lower income showed higher oral pain experience (p＜0.05). Oral pain experience was 1.601 times more frequent among teenagers using smartphones (p＜0.05). @*Conclusion@#The results of this study indicated that use of smartphones by adolescents affected their oral health. These findings indicate the need for improved oral health management through the use of effective school oral health programs and individual counseling by oral health professionals, promotion of information dissemination through public media, and development of prevention strategies.

Korean Dental Hygienists’ Job Description Based on Systematic Review / 치위생과학회지

Background@#Korean dental hygienists perform various tasks under the supervision of dentists in addition to the tasks listed in the law. Many meaningful studies have been conducted to determine the actual tasks of dental hygienists, but these studies did not show common results due to the differences in research methods or designs. Hence, this study aimed to review the reported data on the tasks of dental hygienists in Korea and to clarify them based on a systematic literature review. @*Methods@#For the literature search, the COre, Standard, and Ideal model presented by the National Library of Medicine was referenced. Seven databases were searched for literatures published in Korea, including PubMed, and Google Scholar. Of the 352 studies found using key words, titles, and abstracts, 46 were finally extracted based on the first and second exclusion criteria. After confirming the tasks of Korean dental hygienists in 46 literatures, 136 tasks were listed and calculated as appearance rate in the literature. @*Results@#The most common tasks in 46 studies were fluoride application (67.2%), radiography (65.4%), scaling (65.4%), sealant (60.7%), patient management and counseling (56.7%), tooth-brushing education (52.2%), impression taking with alginate (50.1%), and making temporary crowns (47.9%). The most mentioned tasks of dental hygienists in public health centers were fluoride application (100%), sealant (100%), oral health education (71.4%), public oral health program evaluation (71.4%), school fluoride mouth-rinsing program (71.4%), water fluoridation (57.1%), tooth-brushing education (57.1%), school oral health programs (57.1%), and public elderly oral health programs (57.1%). @*Conclusion@#This study showed that Korean dental hygienists had 136 tasks by reviewing 46 related studies and that the main job of Korean dental hygienists was oral disease prevention including scaling, sealant, and fluoride application.

Comparison of Factors Affecting Perceived and Objective Dental Needs / 치위생과학회지

BACKGROUND: With increased interest in oral health, several efforts have been made to improve oral health conditions. To achieve this, needs for oral health must be precisely determined and accurately measured. Therefore, factors influencing both objective unmet dental needs, which were determined by experts, and perceived unmet dental needs, which were determined by patients, were examined in this study. METHODS: Responses of 17,735 respondents aged greater than 19 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey collected using the fifth (2010~2012) rotation sample survey were analyzed. Based on the information collected from the survey and dental examination, we determined the associations between the independent (sex and socioeconomic level) and dependent variables using a chi-squared test. Moreover, ordinal logistic regression analyses on multiple categorical values were performed using perceived and objective dental needs as the dependent variables. RESULTS: Generally, factors influencing both perceived and objective dental needs were similar. These included sex, household income, educational level, private insurance, and subjective oral health status. However, the high-income groups had lesser perceived and objective dental needs compared to the low-income groups. Furthermore, factors such as sex, educational level, and marital status had different influence on both needs. CONCLUSION: Generally, factors that affect perceived and objective dental needs were similar. To minimize unmet dental needs, factors influencing both perceived and objective dental needs should be examined for a broad dental insurance coverage, and efforts to prevent oral diseases are also required.

Effects of Critical Thinking and Communication Skills on the Problem-Solving Ability of Dental Hygiene Students / 치위생과학회지

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.

Effects of Critical Thinking Disposition and Empathy on Cultural Competency in Dental Hygiene Students / 치위생과학회지

This study investigated the effects of critical thinking and empathy on the cultural competence of dental hygienists and students. A total of 529 dental hygiene students were randomly sampled and included as subjects. PASW Statistics for Windows ver. 18.0 was used to obtain the following results. Among the critical thinking sub-domains, cognitive integration was the highest and the lowest. Empathic ability had the highest acceptance factor among the sub-domains. Cultural competence was the highest among the sub-domains, while cultural knowledge was the lowest. According to their general characteristics, subject age, grade, religion, and economic level influenced the cultural capacity. Cultural awareness and sensitivity were high when there were foreign visiting experiences. Cultural awareness, sensitivity, skills, and knowledge were high when subjects had experienced multicultural education (p < 0.05). Cultural awareness, sensitivity, skill, experience, and knowledge were correlated with critical thinking and cultural competence, among which cultural sensitivity showed the highest correlation (p < 0.001). There was a correlation between cultural awareness and sensitivity, skill, and experience among the empathy and cultural competency sub-domains (p < 0.001). The factors influencing cultural awareness included intellectual integration, openness, prudence, and perspective-taking (p < 0.001). The factors influencing cultural sensitivity included intellectual integration, openness, and empathic concern (p < 0.001). The factors influencing cultural skill included intellectual integration, creativity, and conductivity (p < 0.001). The factors influencing cultural experience included prudence, objectivity, perspective-taking, and personal distress (p < 0.001). Finally, the factors influencing cultural knowledge included creativity and conductivity (p < 0.001). The results indicate that dental hygiene students should be equipped with cultural competence to enhance critical thinking and empathy required by the modern society and optimized dental hygiene courses should be provided for multicultural subjects.

The Effects of National Health Insurance Denture Coverage Policies for the Elderly on the Unmet Dental Needs of the Edentulous Elderly / 치위생과학회지

As the elderly population increases, they are increasingly affected by oral health problems. Therefore, efforts are being made to improve the oral health of older people, alleviate mental discomfort, and reduce unmet dental needs. This study was conducted to confirm the relationship between the National Health Insurance Elderly Denture Coverage and the unmet dental need for the edentulous elderly, as part of the protection policy. We analyzed the 2011 and 2013 Community Health Survey data of the edentulous elderly, aged 75 years or older, before 2012. In order to more precisely confirm the effects of the denture donation policy on unmet dental care, basic life recipients who were subject to the free elderly prosthetic project were excluded from the analysis. The final analysis included 20,400 subjects. According to our investigation of the factors that affect the unmet dental needs of the elderly, the National Health Insurance Elderly Denture Coverage did not affect unmet dental needs. The statistically significant variables that affected the unmet dental needs of the elderly were education and income levels, which are representative socioeconomic status variables. The lower the level of education, the unhealthier the dental care experience, and income levels showed a similar tendency. The elderly who have a low socioeconomic status are more likely to experience unmet dental needs because they lack the knowledge and socioeconomic ability to pay for dental care. Therefore, the policy for health protection of the entire elderly population should be continuously expanded. In addition, the socioeconomically vulnerable groups may have health problems due to the restriction of medical use, which may lead to quality of life deterioration.

Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction of Clinical Dental Hygienists / 치위생과학회지

This study attempted to identify factors work environment that affect job satisfaction in dental hygienists. This study was conducted between August 29 and September 28, 2017, as part of an in-depth study of the ‘Survey on the Working Environment of Clinical Dental Hygienists’ of the Korean Dental Hygienists Association. To get the responses, the questionnaire was posted on the website of the Korean Dental Hygienists Association, and of the respondents, 4,663 were selected and analyzed. An independent t-test and one way ANOVA analysis were used to make a comparison of job satisfaction according to the general characteristics, salary, and tasks. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors affecting job satisfaction. The significance level was 0.05. In regard to salary information, the job satisfaction was found to be high (p < 0.001) in cases where the salary was considered appropriate, when incentives were provided, when rewards or vacation expenses were supported, and when overtime and nightly work allowances were paid. In regard to job information, the job satisfaction was found to be high (p < 0.001) when the volume of work was considered appropriate, when there were sufficient numbers in the workforce, and when the division of labor among the other personnel was clear. As a factor affecting job satisfaction of dental hygienists, the case of thinking that ‘workload is appropriate’ was found to be 2.052 times, showing the highest score. Job satisfaction in dental hygienists affects the turnover and has a significant effect on the performance of the organization. Therefore, it is believed, that it is urgent to improve the working environment such as salary and clear division of duties affecting job satisfaction of dental hygienists.

Cultural Competence and Influencing Factors of Dental Hygiene Students / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of cultural competence and its influencing factors among 530 dental hygiene students. The analysis was performed using PASW Statistics ver. 18.0, and the following conclusions were drawn. Cultural knowledge levels showed a significant difference according to general characteristics in four components of cultural competence levels. Cultural competence and its four components were higher in subjects who have a religion (p<0.05). The differences in cultural competence levels according to culture-related characteristics are as follows. In individuals with experience of taking foreign culture-related classes, intention to work overseas, or fluency in a foreign language, cultural competence levels and its four components such as cultural comfort, knowledge, awareness, and behavior intent were higher (p<0.05). Intention of overseas employment was the factor most strongly influencing the level of cultural competence of the subjects. The more intention the subjects have to work overseas, the more they have experienced foreign culture-related lessons, the more fluently they speak a foreign language, and the higher level of cultural competency they reached (p<0.05). As the research results show, it is necessary to establish a continuing plan to understand and communicate with individuals of other cultures through foreign language and foreign culture classes in schools in order to improve the level of cultural competence. This education would reduce the fear and stress that subjects might make a mistake in meeting with people from other cultures, and it could be a preparatory process to actively carry out dental hygiene practice with foreigners.

Effects of Empathic Ability and Campus Life Stress on Stress Coping Behaviors in Dental Hygiene Students / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of empathic ability and campus life stress on the stress coping behaviors among 395 dental hygiene students. The analysis was performed using PASW Statistics ver. 18.0, and the following conclusions were obtained. The empathic concern factor was the highest in the subscale of empathic ability (3.60). The interpersonal relationship stress was 1.65 and the task-related stress was 2.72. The stress coping behaviors were the highest among the sub-domains, with 3.69 for wishful thinking. The differences of stress coping behaviors according to general characteristics were as follows. The lower the age and grade, the higher the problem-focused coping; when they were religious there was a high pursuit of seeking social support. When they were satisfied with their economic level, wishful thinking was high. There was a low negative correlation between empathic concern and interpersonal relationship stress in campus life (p<0.01). There was a positive correlation between personal distress and task-related stress (p<0.001). The relationship between empathic ability and stress coping behaviors was most associated with personal distress and wishful thinking. Among the sub-domains of stress coping behaviors, factors that have a common impact on personal distress and seeking social support are viewpoint acceptance. Factors supporting emotional focus and wishful thinking were task-related stress. Dental hygiene students are not able to completely eliminate the stress that they are actually under. However, as the research results show, it is necessary to use stress coping techniques to cope effectively with individual tendencies and situations, and to improve the ability to sympathize with another individual.

Correlation among Halitosis, Xerostomia and Stress in Adults / 치위생과학회지

This study is conducted to provide a basis for effective management of bad breath with a poll in 155-scaling patients visiting the dental hygiene department of a university located in Gyeong-gi province after grasping the relevance among halitosis, xerostomia, and stress from them. Analysis was performed using PASW Statistics 18.0. The results of the halitosis measurements based on the general properties showed a significant difference in the hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) level depending on the patient's age; the highest level of 355.61 was observed in patients in their twenties followed by 227.85 in the fifties (p<0.001). The level was higher in cases with sinusitis or rhinitis (p=0.034). The H₂S and (CH₃)₂S levels showed are levant (r=0.492, p<0.01) correlation with the components of halitosis. Further, among other factors affecting breath odor, (CH₃)₂S was shown to increase with increased stress. These results indicate that emotional factors, such as stress, should be considered when diagnosing patients with halitosis, and systematic and standardized diagnostic tools should be developed.