Awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists / 영남의대학술지

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.

Problems to Solve and Job Enlargement on the Inclusion of Dental Hygienists in the Category of Medical Personnel / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions, precedent tasks, positive and negative effects, and expandable professional tasks regarding the inclusion of dental hygienists (DHs) in the category of medical personnel. This study involved a survey of 259 DHs and 128 dentists. The findings were as follows: 94.2% of DHs and 46.9% of dentists were aware of inclusion in the category of medical personnel; 95.0% of DHs and 64.1% of dentists supported the idea; and 84.9% of DHs and 51.6% of dentists recognized its legitimacy. As for precedent tasks for inclusion in the category of medical personnel, both DHs and dentists scored high points in professional consciousness in the area of occupation. Both DHs and dentists scored the highest points in the quality management of DH education and the lowest points in the unification of school systems in the area of institution. In the area of society, DHs scored high points in the persuasion of the central government, whereas dentists scored high points in collaboration among concerned organizations. Regarding the positive effects of inclusion in the category of medical personnel, both DHs and dentists scored the highest points in the expanded perception of DHs. As for its negative effects, DHs scored high points in the aggravation of salary increase, whereas dentists scored high points in the aggravation of salary increase. Regarding expandable professional tasks after the inclusion of DHs in the category of medical personnel, the management of independent periodontal care programs recorded the highest percentage both in DHs and dentists. These findings highlight the need for adequate discussions about the meanings of the inclusion of DHs in the category of medical personnel and will hopefully contribute to the rational adjustment and legalization of DHs' works with regard to their inclusion in the category of medical personnel.

Clinical Competency of Dental Hygiene Students to Manage Disabled Patients in Some Areas / 치위생과학회지

The demand for medical care and welfare for patients with disabilities is expanding, and healthcare professionals are also increasingly interested in the need for medical care for patients with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the competency of disabled patients' management and the education experience of dental hygiene students, who are the main players of oral health care for disabled patients. A total of 196 students in the dental hygiene department and 3rd and 4th grade students were surveyed using questionnaires. As a result, most of the students had a positive awareness of disabled patients; 84.7% answered with the need to train dental hygienists in specializing in handicapped patients, 76.5% were willing to attend seminars related to disabled patients after graduation, and 71.4% of the students provided dental treatment for patients with disabilities in curriculum and comparative curriculum. The students who provided treatment for disabled patients showed that their competence in most areas of knowledge of disabled patients, oral health education, and oral disease prevention was highly evaluated as significant. The competence of respondents who answered that the theoretical education was sufficient was significantly higher. Based on this, institutional support for the education of dentistry for disabled patients is needed, and sufficient theoretical education and practical training should be offered to foster personnel capable of contributing to the improvement in the oral health of patients with disabilities. In addition, in-depth discussions on the training of dental hygienists specialized in handicapped patients should be conducted.

Evaluation of Dental Hygienist Job Validity according to Judgment Standard of Medical Practice in Medical Law / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of dental hygienist job according to judgment standard of medical practice in medical law. In this study, we conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey to evaluate the validity of dental hygienist job for 12 professors of dental college in Gangneung-Wonju National University from November 10 to 20, 2017. We investigated whether the dental hygienist job conforms to the three criteria of medical practice such as disease prevention and treatment, patient care, and health hazard. The response rates were scored and classified into four categories according to the final score. As a result of this study, dental hygienist job are classified into four categories according to judgment standard of medical practice. The higher the level of the category, the higher the degree of difficulty, and the higher the level of expertise and skills required. More than 50% of respondents answered that measuring the gingival pocket, bleeding on probing, professional tooth cleaning, oral health education, counseling after dental treatment are all three criteria for medical treatment. And these were classified into Level 4 group which requires the difficulty and expertise in the final score 4.3. It is necessary to develop and utilize standardized guidelines on the level of knowledge, education, and qualification standards required for dental practice in order to effectively allocate work among the dental personnel while ensuring the health rights of patients in the dental clinic field in Korea. In addition, there is a need to evaluate the various aspects of cost effectiveness, dental health service productivity, and health promotion contribution to dental hygienist jobs, And based on this evidence, it is necessary to continue to expand and adjust the dental hygienist job and to reorganize the dental workforce system.

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.

Analysis of Factors Affecting the Quality of Work Life of Dental Hygienists Based on the Culture-Work-Health Model / 치위생과학회지

This study investigated the relationship between the organizational culture, organizational support, organizational health, personal health, and quality of work life of dental hygienists and analyzed the factors affecting the quality of work life in order to identify ways to improve their quality of work life. A total of 320 dental hygienists completed a self-administered survey; after excluding data from 21 respondents, 299 responses were included in the analysis. Frequency analyses, t-tests, one-way analysis of variation (ANOVA), and correlation analyses were conducted. A path analysis was also conducted to confirm the causal relationships. The findings are as follows. First, there was a significant difference in several general characteristics of the organizational culture including years in the current job and the number of dental hygienists; organizational support including age and the number of dental hygienists; organizational health including years in the current job and annual salary; and personal health including annual salary. Second, the quality of work life showed a positive correlation with organizational culture, organizational support, personal health, and organizational health in that order. Third, the results of path analysis revealed that organizational culture had a positive effect on organizational support; organizational support and personal health on organizational health; organizational support on personal health; and organizational support and organizational health on quality of work life. In addition, organizational support and organizational health had a direct effect on the quality of work life, while organizational culture, organizational support, and personal health had an indirect effect. These results indicated existence of a relationship among organizational culture, organizational support, organizational health, personal health, and quality of work life. It is necessary to identify ways to improve the quality of work life of dental hygienists.

Factors Affecting the Turnover Intention of Dental Hygienists: Emotional Labor, Job Satisfaction, and Social Support / 치위생과학회지

This study aims to contribute to managing the human resource of dental hygienists and qualitatively enhancing dental medical services by examining factors that affect their turnover intention. Therefore, it attempted to examine their degrees of emotional labor, job satisfaction, and social support and the effects of each variable on turnover intention. This study administered self-reporting questionnaires to dental hygienists working in dental hospitals, dental clinics, and general or university hospitals in Seoul Metropolis and Gyeonggi-do by conducting convenience sampling, from May 18, 2017 to August 4, 2017. Among a total of 224 copies that were distributed, a total of 223 copies, excluding 1 copy with poor responses, were used in the data analysis. The research tools comprised 12 questions on general characteristics, 24 questions on emotional labor (4-point Likert scale), 16 questions on job satisfaction (5-point Likert scale), 8 questions on social support (4-point Likert scale), and 4 questions on turnover (5-point Likert scale). The scores of dental hygienists were as follows: emotional labor, 2.49 out of 4; job satisfaction, 3.14 out of 5; social support, 3.04 out of 4; and turnover intention, 3.07 out of 5. Their turnover intention has a positive correlation with emotional labor, but a negative correlation with job satisfaction and social support. It was found that some factors that significantly influence turnover intention included the amount of overtime work and job satisfaction. Thus, dental medical institutes should search for measures, including improvement of the working environment, to reduce the amount of overtime work and enhance job satisfaction.

Validity and Reliability of a Tool Measuring Long-Term Employment Factors among Dental Hygienists / 치위생과학회지

Dental hygienists are important members of any dental clinic. They are recognized as reflecting the dental clinic's image because they spend a lot of time with patients. The longer the dental hygienist is employed, the better the relationship with the patients and the medical service provided. The purpose of the present study was to develop a scale to measure factors of long-term employment among dental hygienists. The basic questions were constructed by analyzing tools used to measure job embeddedness and satisfaction. Forty-one questions were developed that measured organizational fit (13), interpersonal relationships (8), job satisfaction (7), duty satisfaction (6), recognition (4), and self-esteem (3). A questionnaire survey was conducted, and the responses from 297 dental hygienists in dental clinics, after the exclusion of 20 incomplete surveys, were used for the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. As revealed by exploratory factor analysis, long-term employment intention was composed of 7 factors consisting of 29 items after the exclusion of 12. The subsequent confirmatory factor analysis revealed 4 factors (“organizational fit,”“professional identity,”“job connectivity,” and “interpersonal relationship”) consisting of 16 items, after the exclusion of 13. Cronbach's α were 0806, 0.836, 0.700, and 0.684 for the four factors. This study is meaningful in that it developed a long-term employment factor measurement tool that can be applied to domestic dental hygienists. Future studies will need to focus more on professional identity and job outcomes. The results of this study and future related ones could be used to improve dental hygienist's continuous service.

Impact of Dentists' Attitudes and Dental Hygienists' Services on Dental Anxiety / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting dentists' attitudes and dental hygienists' services on dental anxiety in adults. The subjects were 300 adults older than 20 years of age living in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Daejeon, and Daegu. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. Among the distributed questionnaires, 225 respondents were selected as subjects, excluding 74 people who did not answer and 1 person who was not faithful. Data were analyzed using statistical software with a t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression. As a result, the gender was slightly higher in women (54.7%) than in men, and the last dental visit was less than one year in 59.6% of respondents. Most of the respondents' educational level was higher than college level (79.1%), and the monthly income was less than 2 million won in 53.8 of respondents. This study showed that distrust of dentists affected dental anxiety and anxiety stimulation. Higher reliability of the dentist was correlated with less dental anxiety in patients. Dental anxiety showed statistically significant results in dentist subcategories of patient slight and dentists' trust (p < 0.01). Additionally, the factors affecting dental anxiety and anxiety stimulus were knowledge of dental hygienist and distrust of dentist (p < 0.01). According to this study, dentists' and dental hygienists' trust of dental staff show the importance of oral health professionals' role in reducing dental anxiety in patients. It is also suggested that efforts should be made to improve public awareness of oral health experts. It is believed that dentists, and dental hygienists need to promoted to become professionals. In addition, a variety of programs have been developed to reduce dental anxiety, so patients need to be comfortable to receive dental treatment.

A Qualitative Research on Role Conflict Experiences of Clinical Dental Hygienists / 치위생과학회지

This study was based on the experience of dental hygienists' role conflict, and attempted to grasp the nature of the dental hygienist role conflict factor, constituent factor and coping. Giorgi's phenomenological method was used to analyze data collected through in-depth interviews with nine dental hygienists working in a dental clinic. The analysis revealed three central meanings: task scope, role conflicts, and role conflict management style and limitations. In the first category, task scope, the range of the legal scope, and the duties performed by the dental hygienist differed slightly. The second category included role conflict due to interpersonal relationship, work, work environment, competence, and identity as a professional because of role conflict. The third category included the role conflict management style and limitations. Dental hygienists tried to solve the role conflict situation through various efforts. In the face of the reality that the conflict is not solved despite such efforts, the dental hygienists felt the limitation and chose to leave. Dental hygienists are dissatisfied with their roles because of confusion regarding professional values and lack of awareness of the professional workforce due to differences between legal scope and actual practice. Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to develop a tool to quantitatively measure the level of role conflict in dental hygienists and to conduct follow-up studies on the effects of coping strategies by role conflict situations.

Influence of Some Commercially Available Mouthwashes on Teeth / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate the chemical properties of some commercially available mouthwashes and to ascertain whether the mouthwashes accelerated mineral loss in dental enamel. Five commercially available mouthwashes were selected from the three largest malls in Korea: Perio Total 7 Aqua Cool Mint Strong FreshTM (PS; LG Household & Health Care Ltd.), Garglin OriginalTM (Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), Garglin ZeroTM (Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), Listerine Naturals CitrusTM (LC; IDS Manufacturing Ltd.), and Listerine Cool MintTM (LM; IDS Manufacturing Ltd.). The composition, pH, and titratable acidity of the mouthwashes were investigated. Six bovine teeth specimens were prepared for each mouthwash group. Each of the six specimens was individually immersed in 30 ml aliquots of mouthwash for 1 minute, 30 minutes, 90 minutes, and 120 minutes, and the samples were placed in a 36.5℃ stirred incubator. The degree of mineral loss (ΔF) of the tooth surface area exposed to mouthwash, compared with normal teeth, was analyzed by quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital. The difference in ΔF among mouthwash groups was examined by the Kruskal-Wallis H test (α=0.05). The contents of mouthwashes differed between Listerine and other products, and the pH ranged from 4.09 to 6.75. The titratable acidity of PS was the lowest at 0.63 ml and highest at 9.25 ml for LM. Minor mineral loss was observed when dental specimens were immersed in the Listerine products (LC and LM) for more than 90 minutes, but the degree of mineral loss for Listerine products was not statistically significantly different from that for groups without mineral loss. In conclusion, all five commercially available mouthwashes showed no harmful effects on tooth enamel.

Elderly Welfare System and Role of Dental Hygienists in Korea and Japan / 치위생과학회지

In accordance with the aged society, oral health care for the elderly is considered important to maintain general health. Although the role of dental hygienists is essential for proper health management of the oral cavity, research on the care system for the elderly people's oral health and on the role of dental hygienists in the field of elderly welfare is still insufficient. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the status of Korean elderly welfare system and dental hygienists by comparing them with those in Japan, a precedent of aged society. First, we compared and investigated the Japanese long-term insurance system, which provides an institutional basis for a long-term care system for the elderly in Korea. Second, the elderly welfare law and care system, focusing on oral care, were examined. Lastly, in elderly care, we analyzed the distinctions between Korea and Japan regarding dental hygienists' role and scope of work. Taken together, as a precedent of aged society, Japan has shown well-specialized and systematic welfare for the elderly compared with Korea. With the development of the welfare system for the elderly in Japan, the role and the workscope of dental hygienists have been expanded to improve quality of life of elderly people, as a key professional for elderly oral care. Therefore, we should perceive the need for improvement of long-term care insurance and the expansion of dental hygienists' work in Korea. In conclusion, these results could be used as basic data for improving the elderly welfare system and developing dental hygienists in Korea.

The Opinions of Some Dental Hygienists about Improvement of Korean Dental Hygiene Education / 치위생과학회지

This study's aim was to investigate their opinions to improve the educational system for dental hygienists on the basis of their duties as dental hygienists. The qualitative study was conducted among 19 dental hygienists at Daejeon, Korea from July to August 2016. Two researchers followed each subject for working hours in a day and recorded all the tasks and time to take for each task. After one day, the researchers met each subject and conducted face-to-face interviews to investigate the opinions about the dental hygiene curriculum and national board examination. The main duties recognized by more than half of the subjects were oral disease prevention including scaling and dental treatment assistance. The subjects' minority opinion about the main duties included radiography, impression taking, dental implant surgery assistance, orthodontic treatment, patient counseling, dental management and staff management, and oral health education. The most important tasks perceived by the subjects were prosthetic and implant impressions, scaling and implant surgery assistance. The subjects' minority opinion about the most important duties included patient counseling and making temporary crowns. The most difficult tasks answered by the subjects were prosthetic and implant impressions and dental implant surgery assistance. The subjects' minority opinion about it included patient counseling, scaling, and making temporary crowns. They mentioned that their curriculum in college was different from the actual work and the national board examination was not reflective of their real duties. We found out Korean dental hygienists had a lot of roles as dental assistants, dental business managers, and so on. We suggest that the law, curriculum and national board examination for dental hygienists should be revised to be able to reflect the reality of the clinical field.

Qualitative Research on Communication Education of Dental Hygienist by Focus Group Interview / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study to review clinicians and educators on required communication education factors of dental hygienists using qualitative research by focus group interview. The participants were dentists, dental hygienists and professors. A questionnaire was developed on communication education to collect data. The collated data derived concepts related to communication education. After transferring the data, were analyzed by open coding and axial coding using computer-aided qualitative data analysis software. Focus group emphasized that higher education on communication should be preceded before they are put into the clinical field. However, the dental hygienist emphasized experiential education in the clinical field, the professor emphasized additional education for continuity of communication education even after graduation. Besides, focus group emphasized role play, and the professor required that the standardization of the dental communication training courses objectives and role play modules and the education environment infrastructure should be established to implement communication education efficiently. The categories of communication education stated in the focus group were time and method for the dental communication training courses, dental communication training courses standardization and educational environment, of evaluation of communication competency, of perception of the dental communication training courses. This study identified the communication education development to conform with the needs of the clinical field strengthen and cultivate communication competency dental hygienists based on factors of communication education emphasized in focus groups.

Demand and willing to pay for oral hygiene service in long-term care insurance of elderly / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to identify the demand and willingness to pay for oral hygiene services among elderly people with long-term care insurance. METHODS: Our study was a cross-sectional analysis. Subjects comprised 126 elderly individuals from long-term home-care centers. A total of 28 centers were selected through convenience sampling from among 78 centers in ○○. For analysis, semi-structured questionnaires that required about 20–30 minutes to complete were used. Analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 software. RESULTS: The overall demand for oral hygiene services was 44.4%, and willingness to pay was 31.0%. Thirty-three people (58.9%) of elderly those who have demand for an oral hygiene service were willing to pay for the service, and 64 people (91.4%) who did not have a demand were not willing to pay for it. Among those with partial dependence on brushing, 65.6% had demand for oral hygiene services and 50.0% were willing to pay costs. Among basic livelihood beneficiaries, 69.6% were willing to pay for oral hygiene services; general subjects and relievers were less willing to pay. CONCLUSIONS: The overall demand for oral hygiene services among elderly people was 44.4%, and the willingness to pay was as low as 31.0%.

Association of Emotional Labor, Self-efficacy, and Type A Personality with Burnout in Korean Dental Hygienists

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional labor and burnout, and whether the levels of self-efficacy and type A personality characteristics increase the risk of burnout in a sample of Korean female dental hygienists. Participants were 807 female dental hygienists with experience in performing customer service for one year or more in dental clinics, dental hospitals, or general hospitals in Korea. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. A hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the effects of emotional labor on burnout, and to elucidate the additive effects of self-efficacy and type A personality on burnout. The results showed that “overload and conflict in customer service,”“emotional disharmony and hurt,” and “lack of a supportive and protective system in the organization” were positively associated with burnout. With reference to the relationship between personality traits and burnout, we found that personal traits such as self-efficacy and type A personality were significantly related to burnout, which confirmed the additive effects of self-efficacy and type A personality on burnout. These results indicate that engaging in excessive and prolonged emotional work in customer service roles is more likely to increase burnout. Additionally, an insufficient organizational supportive and protective system toward the negative consequences of emotional labor was found to accelerate burnout. The present findings also revealed that personality traits such as self-efficacy and type A personality are also important in understanding the relationship between emotional labor and burnout.

Current issues and areas for improvement in the Korean Dental Hygienist National Licensing Examination: an expert Delphi survey among dental hygienists / 보건의료교육평가

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate current issues and areas for improvement in the Korean Dental Hygienist National Licensing Examination (KDHNLE) through an expert Delphi survey. METHODS: A Delphi survey was conducted from May through August 2016 in Korea. This Delphi survey included 20 persons representing the field of dental hygiene (7 groups from various dental hygiene-related organizations). The Delphi survey was administered through e-mail as 3 rounds of questionnaire surveys regarding the issues facing the KDHNLE and potential solutions to those challenges. The primary Delphi survey was an open questionnaire. In each round, subjects' responses were categorized according to the detailed themes of their responses. The minimum value of the content validity ratio of the survey results was determined by the number of panels participating in the Delphi survey. RESULTS: Issues facing the KDHNLE were identified from the results of the Delphi survey. The following 4 items had an average importance score of 4.0 or higher and were considered as important by over 85% of the panels: the failure of the practical test to reflect actual clinical settings, the focus of the practical test on dental scaling, the gap between the items evaluated on the national examination and actual practical work, and insufficiency in strengthening the expertise of licensed dental hygienists. The following items were suggested for improvement: more rigorous rater training, adjustment of the difficulty of the licensing examination, the introduction of a specialized dental hygienist system, and more rigorous refresher training for licensed dental hygienists. CONCLUSION: Based on the above results, the KDHNLE should be improved according to the core competencies of dental hygienists, including on-site clinical practice experience.

Development of a Job Competency Model of a Dental Intermediary-Manager Using the Delphi Method / 치위생과학회지

The purpose of this study was to identify job competencies of a dental intermediary-manager and to develop a job competency model. First, job competencies were extracted from literature review. Next, a focus group interview was conducted with a total of 5 people to prepare a draft of job competency model for dental intermediary-manager. Finally, a Delphi survey was conducted with 32 panels. A job competency model for dental intermediary-manager consisted of 6 groups which were dental business management, medical support, human resources management, communication, customer management, leadership, self-control and attitude. Subsequently 25 sub-competencies and 95 behavioral indicators were developed. The job competency model will be able to provide basic data for the development training programs to improve the competency of dental intermediary-managers.

Influence of Dental Hygienists' Core Competencies on Job Performance / 치위생과학회지

This study targeted 123 dental hygienists working at the university and dental hospital as well as the dental clinic in Busan. The study ran for 5 months beginning July 23, 2016. The purpose of the study was to understand the relationship between core competencies and job performance for dental hygienists. The major core competencies of dental hygienists were interpersonal relation competency (3.61) was the highest, followed by management and educational competency (3.59), organizational relation competency (3.57), and basic dental hygiene management competency (3.56). Regarding the subjects' job performance, ‘the task requested by a boss could be finished by the deadline’ (3.93) was the highest, followed by ‘there has been no case where others were harmed owing to carelessness’ (3.76). ‘The performance exceeding the targets set by the boss’ (3.11) was relatively low. The group working for dental hospitals showed higher job performance than the group working for dental clinics (p=0.009) while there were high correlations between core competencies and job performance (p=0.733). Also, analysis for understanding relevant variables of core competencies that affected job performance revealed that the interpersonal relation competency (p=0.25), self-control competency (p=0.32), and basic dental hygiene competency (p=0.15) were significant. In summary, reinforcement of the dental hygienists'S core competencies has a positive effect on job performance. Improved job performance in turn should improve patient care as well as the performance of the healthcare organization overall which will be eventually helpful to the provision of high-quality medical service to patients, and helpful for the hospital organization Helpful in making their performance better. Therefore, it would be necessary to establish administrative/educational support to facilitate dental hygiene education to develop major competencies and vocational basic abilities, as well as reinforce diverse competency educational programs for the current dental hygienists.

Relationship between Happiness and Job Satisfaction of Dental Hygienists / 치위생과학회지

This study was conducted to provide basic data on the relationship between the happiness and job satisfaction of dental hygienists. The research subjects were 264 dental hygienists in Busan and Gyeongsangnam-do. The study was conducted using structured questionnaires and the collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software, ver. 20.0. The happiness index, which was based on general characteristics, showed the greatest significant differences in life satisfaction (p<0.05) among adults over 36 years of job experience, negative emotions (p<0.01) among adults under 25 years of job experience, and negative emotions (p<0.05) among adults with 4~10 years of job experience. The factors that improved the job satisfaction of dental hygienists were life satisfaction, prime duty at the work place, and a positive effect. On the contrary, negative emotions lowered the job satisfaction. The happiness of the dental hygienist is an important factor not only for the improvement of the hygienist's personal quality of life, but also the patient's health. It is necessary for dental hygienists to maintain good relationships with coworkers during in the workplace, as well as employers, to have an administrative system that offers proper compensation, improvement of the work environment, and opportunities to improve professionalism at the workplace.