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.

Molecular diagnosis of fragile X syndrome in a female child

PURPOSE: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common heritable cause of cognitive impairment. FXS is caused by hyperexpansion and hypermethylation of a polymorphic CGG trinucleotide repeat in the 5' untranslated region of the fragile X mental retadation-1(FMR1) gene. Combination of Southern blotting and simple polymerase chain reaction(PCR) amplification of the FMR1 repeat region is commonly used for diagnosis in females. To give a definite diagnosis in a female child suspected of having FXS, we carried out the molecular diagnostic test for FXS using the recently developed Abbott Molecular Fragile X PCR Kit. METHODS: The PCR amplification of the FMR1 repeat region was performed using the Abbott Mdecular Fragile X PCR Kit. The amplified products were analyzed by size-separate analysis on 1.5% agarose gels and by DNA fragment analysis using Gene scan. RESULTS: Agarose gel and Gene scan analyses of PCR products of the FMR1 repeat region showed that the patient had two heterozygous alleles with a normal 30 repeats and full mutation of >200 repeats whereas her mother had two heterozygous alleles with the normal 30 repeats and premutation of 108 repeats, suggesting that the premutation of 108 repeats in her mother may have led to the full mutation of >200 repeats in the patient. CONCLUSION: We diagnosed FXS in a female patient using a simplified molecular diagnostic test. This commercially available diagnostic test for FXS, based on PCR, may be a suitable alternative or complement method to Southern blot analysis and PCR analysis and/or methylation specific(MS)-PCR analysis for the molecular diagnosis of FXS in both males and females.

Comparison of Two-Minute Tidal Breathing Method and Five Vital Capacity Breathing Method for Bronchial Provocation Test in Children / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

PURPOSE: The results of the bronchial provocation test were different by the method of inhalation, but there was no data in children. We performed the provocation test by 2 different methods such as two-minute tidal breathing versus five vital capacity breathing and compared the datas. METHODS: Methacholine inhalation test was performed for the In 17 patients with suspected bronchial hyperresponsiveness in Pocheon university Bundang Cha hospital, under identical conditions, except for the method of inhalation. All the patients were performed two-minute tidal breathing (2 min-TB) in one test and five vital capacity breathing (5VCB) with interval 1 to 7 days. Baseline and postsaline FEV1 were also measured to compare effects by two inhalation methods. Methacholine PC20 was calculated by linear interpolation between the last two data parts on the dose-response curve, and the cut off value of bronchial asthma was 8 mg/mL. RESULTS: The rate of positive brochial provaction test in 5VCB was 88.24% which was not significantly lower than 70.59% in 2 min-TB. In 12 patients with positive bronchial provocation test in both inhalation methods, the mean PC20 in 5VCB (5VC-PC20) was 4.40 mg/mL, being significantly higher than 1.02 mg/mL in 2 min-TB (2 min-PC20) (P< 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between 5VC-PC20 and 2 min-PC20 (R=0.76, P< 0.001). CONCLUSION: We conclude from this study that the results of bronchial provocation test in children are different according to methods of inhalation in using the same nebulizer. Therefore, when we analyze the result of bronchial provocation test, we need attention to factors which are nebulizer output and method of inhalation to influence the response to the test.

Sensitivity of Dimercaptosuccinic Acid(DMSA) Renal Scan in Children with Acute Pyelonephritis

PURPOSE: Accurate diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis(APN) using clinical and laboratory parameters is often difficult in children. Clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated that renal scarring can be prevented or diminished by early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of acute pyelonephritis. dimercaptosuccinic acid(DMSA) renal scan has been reported to be useful in children for confirmation of the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis. An analysis was undertaken to correlate the clinical and laboratory manifestations of APN with the results of the DMSA renal scan in different age groups. METHODS: We determined the sensitivity of DMSA renal scan in febrile urinary tract infections(UTI) in two groups according to age:group I in less than 2 years; group II in older than 2 years. During the period March 2001 through September 2002, 67 children presented with febrile UTIs. All patients had DMSA renal scan done in the acute period, 55 had voiding cystourethrography(VCUG) and 66 had renal ultrasonogram(RUS) done. RESULTS: There were no significant difference between the two groups in DMSA renal scan (P>0.05). But, in group I sensitivity of DMSA renal scan was 47%; in group II sensitivity of DMSA renal scan was 70%. The grade of reflux correlated with a positive DMSA renal scan. Vesicoureteral reflux did not correlate with age. RUS did not correlate with a positive DMSA renal scan in any age group. Abnormality of RUS did not correlate with age. CONCLUSION: At present, we believe that DMSA renal scan is the prevailing method in differention of the APN. In addition, it is not invasive and less costly. Even though there is no statistical difference in the sensitivity of DMSA renal scan between young and older children, we can observe that in the younger group, the sensitivity of DMSA renal scan seemed to be lower(47%).

A Case of Rickets Developed after Feeding on Sunsik for Seven Months

Rickets is a nutritional disorder which is caused either by deficiency of vitamin D or by a defective activation of vitamin D. In these days, even though the incidence of rickets has decreased through adequate nutritional support, we sometimes experience rickets in babies receiving a prolonged special diet as therapy for chronic diarrhea, or those subject to a in receiving the prolonged elimination of milk because of allergy. But there are no reports about rickets caused by absolute elimination of milk because of allergies in Korea. We report here a case of rickets developed after feeding on Sunsik(a mixture of several grain and fruits powder) during a seven months period in an 8-month-old male patient. This male infant manifested vomiting, poor feeding, decreased serum calcium and 25- hydroxycholecalciferol levels, and markedly increased serum alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone levels. Skeletal X-rays showed cupping and fraying in distal metaphyses of radius and ulna, and generalized osteopenia. The patient improved with vitamin D and calcium therapy.