A study of the impact of dental hygienist concern on oral health care of the elderly / 대한구강보건학회지

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

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.

Oral health-related quality of life improvements and satisfaction in South Korea: results from the National Health Insurance Coverage Denture Project for the Elderly / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we assessed the effects of the National Health Insurance Coverage Denture Project for the Elderly on the improvement of oral health-related quality of life (QOL) and satisfaction. METHODS: Individuals aged > or =75 years (n=121) participated in the project at dental clinics or public health centers in Busan City, South Korea. Baseline and post-intervention follow-up surveys (personal interview) were conducted between October 2013 and April 2014. RESULTS: Significant improvements were demonstrated in all seven Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) subscales at follow-up. Functional limitation showed the most improvement (2.81 points) followed by physical functionality, physical pain, psychological discomfort, social isolation, mental function, and social function. In addition, participants with no income who were required to pay for their expenses, reported higher satisfaction. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the rate of improvement on the OHIP-14 ten score increased in cases where participants who had to pay for their expenses (odds ratio [OR], 2.98; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16, 7.66) but decreased for patients who received partial dentures (OR, 0.34; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.89), patients who expressed previous satisfaction with denture costs (OR, 0.37; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.97), and patients who had previous denture experience (OR, 0.43; 95% CI: 0.16, 1.12). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the short period (2 years), the National Health Insurance Coverage Denture Project for the Elderly was able to demonstrate significant improvements in oral health-related QOL. Therefore, the establishment and integration of this project is recommended to maintain and improve the QOL for the rapidly aging population.