A study on influential factors for dental hygiene students' image of dental hygienist

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine dental hygiene students' image of dental hygienist and factors affecting the image of dental hygienist in an effort to provide some information useful for dental hygiene education. It's basically meant to recreate the image of dental hygienist as a professional. Methods : The subjects in this study were 310 sophomores and seniors who ere selected by convenience sampling from three different three-year-course colleges located in Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province and Gwangju. After a survey was conducted, the answer sheets from 277 respondents were analyzed except for 33 incomplete ones. The collected data were analyzed with a SPSSWIN 17.0 program, and statistical data on frequency and percentage were obtained to find out the general characteristics of the subjects, and another statistical data on mean and standard deviation for each item were acquired to check their image of dental hygienist. Besides, t-test, ANOVA and Kruscal-Wallis test, one of nonparametric test, were utilized to look for connections between their general characteristics and image of dental hygienist. Results : 1. They gave a mean of 3.53 to the image of dental hygienist, which showed that the dental hygiene students took a favorable view of dental hygienists in general. 2. Their response to four items showed that they looked at the image of dental hygienist in a positive manner. The four items respectively described dental hygienists as professionals, as ones who played a crucial role in the improvement of national oral health, as ones with professional knowledge and sophisticated knowhow, and as neat and decent people. And their response to the following five items indicated that they looked at the image of dental hygienists in a negative way. One was that dental hygienists were considered to be dental nurses, and another was that the occupation of dental hygienist was a demanding and stressful job. The third was that there was no single, fixed title to call dental hygienists, and the fourth was that dental hygiene wasn't recognized as an independent area. The fifth was that the social standing of dental hygienists was sort of high. 3. In regard to the impact of the general characteristics of the dental hygiene students on their image of dental hygienist, they had a more favorable image of dental hygienist when they perceived dental hygiene in a more positive manner(p<0.001). Conclusions : In order to boost the image of dental hygienist, the working conditions of dental hygienists should be improved, and educational programs should be prepared to provided them extended continuing educational opportunities. And the kind of educational environments that could nurture dental hygienists who are convinced and have a vision should be created.

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