Oral health literacy of upper grade elementary school children / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine oral health literacy in a sample of Korean of 5th and 6th grade elementary school children. METHODS: Data were obtained from a convenience sample of 274 5(th) and 6(th) grade children from two elementary schools located in Seoul and Uijeongbu. The oral health literacy assessment tool for children of Korea (OHLC-K) takes approximately 11 minutes to complete, and consists of 20 self-report questions with a score range of 0 to 20. Item analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple linear regression were performed using SPSS 23.0 and testAn 1.0. RESULTS: The lowest and highest percentage of correct answers were found in “Definition of periodontal disease (19.3%)” and “Definition of halitosis (92.7%),” respectively. The mean score for oral health literacy was found to be 14.95 ± 2.83, corresponding to a score of approximately 75% correct answers. The correlation coefficient for Korean and OHLC-K scores was high (r=.73, P < .01). In the multiple linear regression, oral health literacy was associated with grade and gender. CONCLUSION: The present findings revealed that a quarter of the subjects were likely to misunderstand oral health information. Oral health education is indispensable to all children and, therefore, it is necessary to pay greater attention to children who exhibit poor oral health literacy.

Effect of social support and self-esteem on the oral health behaviors of Korean elderly people / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the oral health behaviors and the relationships between social support, self-esteem, and oral health behaviors. METHODS: The institutions were selected based on the “2016 Elderly Welfare Facilities Status.” A total of 195 people participated in interviews conducted using a 39-item questionnaire. It included information on the following topics: a) sociodemographic and health-related characteristics (11 items), b) oral health behaviors (6), c) social support (12), and d) self-esteem (10). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, a reliability test, a t-test, an ANOVA, a Pearson's correlation test, and a stepwise multiple regression, conducted using the SPSS 23.0 program. RESULTS: Of the 195 participants, 165 (84.6%) brushed their teeth twice a day; however only 74 (38.0%) participants used oral care products. Although many (64.6%) elderly people visited a dentist at least once a year, only a few (24.6%) visited the dentist for preventive purposes. Oral health behaviors had a positive correlation with self-esteem, significant others' support, and friends'support (.337, .270, and .254, respectively; P<.01). According to the multiple regression analysis, self-esteem, significant others' support, perceived health status, number of existing permanent teeth, friends' support, degree of exercise, gender, and average monthly expenditure had a significant effect on the participants' oral health behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that social support and self-esteem might be major predictors of oral health behaviors. These results suggest that psychosocial factors need to be taken into account in the oral health education provided for elderly people.

Oral health literacy of Korean adults / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: We used a questionnaire to measure the oral health literacy of Korean adults. We then evaluated the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. METHODS: This questionnaire was developed using a literacy assessment tool from the National Institute of Korean Language, Republic of Korea. The survey was composed of instructions for dental treatment and oral health information. The components were sub-classified into three cognitive processes (realistic, deductive, and critical domains). Of the 337 university students who received the questionnaire, 84.3 percent responded. We calculated the reliability of the questionnaire using Cronbach's α, to assess the item discrimination and difficulty as well as effectiveness of distracters. RESULTS: We found that the reliability of the 24 items in the questionnaire was 0.89. The mean item discrimination and difficulty values were 0.53 and 0.71. The percentage of correct answers was higher than the effectiveness of the distracters in all items. The mean number of answers to the oral health information data (72.1) was higher than that to dental treatment instructions (63.9). The mean number of answers to the items in the realistic domain (76.1) was higher than that to the items in the deductive (69.4) and critical (65.9) domains. Neither gender nor university major had a significant effect on the percentage of correct answers. CONCLUSIONS: Sixty percent of university students were found to have the government-recommended level of oral literacy. Therefore, better oral health education is required to ensure that all individuals meet government-recommended levels.

Development of oral health literacy assessment tool for fifth and sixth grade elementary school students / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop and appraise an oral health literacy assessment tool for upper elementary school students. METHODS: Twenty-eight preliminary assessment items were developed on the basis of various types of oral health education literature for children. They contained verbal and functional sections and they were classified into 2 cognitive processes (literal and inferential). The questionnaires were analyzed using the testAn v.1.0 program for identified Cronbach's α, item discrimination, and difficulty through classical test theory. A final evaluation tool was developed and selected by conducting three surveys and 20 items. RESULTS: The final survey was completed by 132 fifth and sixth grade elementary school students in Seoul. The Cronbach's α value, item discrimination, and difficulty were .71, .38, and .75, respectively. The mean score for oral health literacy of children was 14.9 (±3.2, theoretical range: 0-20, 75% correct answers). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that this tool could be relied on to help determine the level of oral health literacy in children and in preparing appropriate oral health education programs for children.

Factors influencing oral discomfort in elderly people / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate oral discomfort factors in the elderly and to analyze the sociodemographic and health-related characteristics influencing their oral discomfort using multiple regression analysis. METHODS: Facilities were selected based on the 2014 Elderly Welfare Facilities Status. Data was collected through the interview of 176 participants aged ≥65 years. The oral discomfort factors (10 items) were investigated using a 5-point Likert scale. The total oral discomfort scores were added for each of the 10 items investigated using the 5-point Likert scale. SPSS 12.0 program was used to analyze the descriptive statistics and perform a t-test and a stepwise multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The oral discomfort factor with the highest score was g oral discomfort factorThe total oral discomfort score for women was significantly higher than that for men. 'men. gnificantly higher thangenderg were, respectively, the health-related and sociodemographic characteristics that most significantly influenced the total oral discomfort scores. Perceived oral health accounted for 30.4% of the total oral discomfort score, while gender accounted for 2%. CONCLUSIONS: Health-related characteristics were more significantly associated with oral discomfort than sociodemographic characteristics. Since sociodemographic characteristics are not easily changed, government and healthcare providers should strive to improve the health of the elderly population.

Effects of full problem based learning of dental students on self-directed learning, communication, and problem solving abilities / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on dental education to dental students. The following were investigated in this study: 1. Does PBL improve the ability of self-directed learning? 2. Does PBL change communication ability? 3. Does PBL change the strategy of problem solving? METHODS: The participants of this study were 39 students in the experimental group and 68 students in the control group. The measurement tools of this study were self-directed learning, communication, and problem solving abilities tests designed by the Korean Educational Development Institute. The data was analyzed by the two-way ANOVA and ANOVA with repeated measures. RESULTS: In self-directed learning ability during 3 semesters, the experimental group showed a U-shape change but the control group showed a reverse U-shape change. In the experimental group, the self-directed learning ability was decreased after one year (after the first and second semester). The level of communication ability decreased every day during the three semesters monitored in both the control and experimental groups. The level of communication ability in the experimental group continuously decreased during the three semesters, with the exception of one semester. Finally, for the problem solving ability during the three semesters, the experimental group showed a reverse U-shape change while the control group showed a U-shape change. In the experimental group, there was no change after two semesters. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the findings in this study, the following conclusions can be made. First, problem-based learning has a positive educational effect compared to didactic-based learning within one year. Second, the appropriate length of PBL is two semesters, or one year. It could be recommended that dental education in Korea should be combined or hybridized with PBL; for example, PBL could be used in combination with brief lectures or block lectures by teachers.

Review on dental fear and anxiety factors by DFS / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The study on dental fear has increased recently. Studies found that people with high dental fear and or anxiety were less likely to visit dentists. The aim of this study is to review the trend of study on dental fear and to analyse the major factors related to dental fear. METHODS: Seventy four papers listed in Korea Citation Index and SCI(E) were assessed. Quality Assessment and Validity Tool for Correlation Studies (QAVTCS) and Dental Fear Study (DFS) were used in this study. SPSS 12.0 was employed to analyse the descriptive statistics, t-test and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) with stepwise. RESULTS: The total mean score of QAVTCS for international studies was significantly higher than domestic studies (P=.001). The mean scores of item, 'Seeing the anesthetic needle' and 'Feeling the anesthetic needle', were severe level (Means= 3.05, 3.14, severe>3.00). According to the MLR, the powerful predisposing factors (independent variable) on 'Overall fear of dentistry (dependent variable)' were 'Hearing the drill' (P<.01) and 'Having teeth cleaned' (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that people had high dental fear in direct dental treatment environment such as contact with seeing anesthetic needle and hearing dental drill. Therefore, this study suggests the need to map out specific and multidirectional plan for decreasing dental fear.

Pilot study on development of oral health literacy evaluation tool for Korean adults / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: Oral health literacy is defined as 'the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic oral health information and services needed to make an appropriate health decision'. This goal of this study was to develop an instrument for assessing oral health literacy in Korean adults. METHODS: This instrument was developed by using the adult literacy evaluation tool of the Korean Government. The components were mainly related to 2 conditions ('oral health information' and 'dental treatment instruction'), and they were classified into 3 cognitive processes (realistic, deductive, and critical domains). Furthermore, all of the subcomponents were divided into prose and non-prose. Therefore, each of the 12 subcomponents had 4 items, resulting in a final questionnaire with 48 items. A pilot survey was conducted in 51 adults, and the quality of the questionnaire was subsequently evaluated. We identified reliability by using Cronbach's alpha, discrimination, and difficulty. Two items from each of the 12 subcomponents were selected as the final items. We set the difference thresholds at over 0.5 and over 0.3 for reliability and discrimination, respectively. Finally, we distributed the difficulty from 35 to 95%. RESULTS: The reliabilities of all items (48) and the final items (24) were 0.838 and 0.836, respectively. The mean discrimination of the final items was higher than that of all items (mean: 0.5 and 0.3, respectively). The difficulty curve of the final items followed a normal distribution. CONCLUSIONS: The reliability and validity demonstrated by the final 24 items indicates that they are appropriate for evaluating oral health literacy in adults.

Logistic regression analysis of factors affecting the survival of first molars in Korean adults / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the variables affecting the survival of the four permanent first molars in an adult Korean population using logistic regression analysis. METHODS: The Korean government has been collecting oral health data at the national level at 3-year intervals since 2000. In addition, a national survey was conducted in 2006 among 15,777 persons aged 2-95 years who were stratified by age, gender, and region. The relationship between each of nine objective variables and tooth survival was analyzed by frequency, cross-tabulation, and logistic regression analysis, with age, gender, and economic status as functional variables. The inclusion level was alpha=0.05 and the exclusion level was alpha=0.10. The nine variables were age, occupational status, monthly family income, gender, frequency of brushing the teeth, snack intake per day, presence of diabetes, education level, and smoking (packs per year). RESULTS: The survival rate of the molars decreased with increased age. In individuals who engaged in farming, stock breeding, and fishing, the rate was 2-5 times lower than that of individuals in higher positions in terms of jobs and society. Furthermore, the survival rate for smokers was 5-10 percent lower, compared with non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: The most significant predictor of the survival rate of the four permanent molars in Korean adults was age, followed by jobs, smoking, and gender.

Logistic regression analysis of factors affecting the survival of central incisors in Korean adults / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the variables affecting the survival of the four permanent central incisors in an adult Korean population using logistic regression analysis. METHODS: The Korean government has been collecting oral health data at the national level at 3-yearly intervals since 2000. In addition, a national survey was conducted in 2006 of 15,777 persons aged 2 to 95 years old who were stratified by age, gender, and region. The raw data were input and the relationship between each of eight objective variables and tooth survival was analyzed by frequency, crosstabulation, and logistic regression analysis, with age, gender, and economic status as functional variables. The inclusion level was alpha=0.05 and the exclusion level was alpha=0.10. The eight variables were age, economic status (jobs), monthly family income, gender, frequency of toothbrushing per day, presence of diabetes, education level, and smoking years. RESULTS: The survival rate of the incisors decreased with an increase in age, while that in individuals who engaged in farming, stock breeding, and fishing was 5 to 7 times lower than that in individuals in top positions in terms of jobs and society. Further, the survival rate in individuals with diabetes was 2 to 3 times higher than in those without diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The most significant predictor of the survival rate of the four permanent incisors in Korean adults was age, followed by economic status and presence of diabetes.

Logistic regression analysis of factors affecting survival of permanent second molars in Korean adults / 대한구강보건학회지

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

Erratum: Relationship between job competency, core self-evaluation, and job performance in dental hygienists / 대한구강보건학회지

The author's name was misspelled.

Better Life Through Science! / 대한구강보건학회지

No abstract available.

Relationship between job competency, core self-evaluation, and job performance in dental hygienists / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates the relationship between job competency, job performance, and core self-evaluation in dental hygienists. METHODS: The subjects were registered and working dental hygienists in dental clinics. Two surveys were conducted. The first survey was conducted at an academic conference, and the second was via post. The conference participants were 200 dental hygienists, and 156 questionnaires were returned. Another 200 dental hygienists received the questionnaire via mail, and 123 returned the questionnaires. There were 279 questionnaires returned in total; however, only 269 questionnaires were included in the analysis. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 12.0. RESULTS: Job performance was classified into oral health education, prevention treatment, and dental assisting. Competency was classified into achievement and behavior, personal leverage, and recognition specialty. All competency of dental hygienists was similarly taken, but the factors influencing each competency differed from the contents of job performance. Thus, appropriate education and training programs are needed by dental hygienists. Factors such as recognition specialty competency, age, and core self-evaluation influenced oral health education. Recognition specialty competency and core self-evaluation influenced prevention treatment. Moreover, academic ability and core self-evaluation influenced concertation of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the dental hygienists who have a more positive attitude have better job performance. Thus, dental hygienists require continuous evaluation to enhance their professional qualities.

The recognition and attitude of student's parents of elementary school on the sealant and its operation by dental hygienists / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to look at elementary school student parents' recognition of pit and fissure sealant, national health insurance application and recognition of and attitude toward dental hygienist's treatment for pit and fissure sealant. METHODS: The subject of study was parents of children in the 3rd and 4th grades at an elementary school in Jeonju city. To consider those parents' socio-economic factors of elementary school grade level classified by Education Office, 'A: highest socio-economic' level and 'D: lowest socio-economic' level, elementary school student parents were surveyed. In this study, a set of questionnaire was distributed to student's parents, a total of 23 questions on recognition and attitude for pit and fissure sealant by national health insurance system, treatment of sealing by dental hygienist. The statistical analysis of the data collected was done by using SPSS 12.0. RESULTS: Of the student parents, the percentage of those who recognized that national health insurance covers the pit and fissure sealant was 36.9% only. The percentage of parents who did not know was larger than that of those who knew. Of the student parents, those who had once or more received treatment of the pit and fissure sealant by dental hygienist were highly satisfied and their attitude were also very positive about dental hygienist's ability to operate the pit and fissure sealant. CONCLUSIONS: The higher the recognition rate of pit and fissure sealant can be covered national insurance system, the lesser consumer's burden.

Evaluation of Teeth and Supporting Structures on Digital Radiograms using Interpolation Methods / 대한구강악안면방사선학회지

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of interpolation functions when processing the digital periapical images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The digital images were obtained by Digora and CDR system on the dry skull and human subject. 3 oral radiologists evaluated the 3 portions of each processed image using 7 interpolation methods and ROC curves were obtained by trapezoidal methods. RESULTS: The heighest Az value(0.96) was obtained with cubic spline method and the lowest Az value(0.03) was obtained with facet model method in Digora system. The heighest Az value(0.79) was obtained with gray segment expansion method and the lowest Az value(0.07) was obtained with facet model method in CDR system. There was significant difference of Az value in original image between Digora and CDR system at alpha=0.05 level. There were significant differences of Az values between Digora and CDR images with cubic spline method, facet model method, linear interpolation method and non-linear interpolation method at alpha= 0.1 level.

An age estimation by the root canal area index (RCIA) and root canal width index (RCIW) of upper central incisor in Korean adults / 체질인류학회지

No abstract available.