Anxiety and fatigue related to dental practices of dental hygiene students

Objectives : The aim of the study is to investigate anxiety, fatigue and stress of dental hygiene students in clinical practice and to improve the psychological support program. Methods : A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 428 dental hygiene students in 4 universities in Gwagju and Jeonnam. Data were analyzed for anxiety, stress and fatigue, general characteristics using SPSS 18.0 program for descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and correlation. Results : Saliva suction showed the most high score in treatment($mean{\pm}SD=2.92{\pm}1.13$) and was followed by children dental care($2.79{\pm}1.21$), preventive dental care($2.38{\pm}1.04$), maxillofacial radiology($2.35{\pm}1.15$). During the clinical practice, students felt uneasy when they stayed in relative home(p<0.05). Poor interpersonal relation(p<0.001), poor health condition(p<0.01), low satisfaction with major(p<0.01), the other cause of major choice(p<0.01) influenced on their stress. Satisfaction with major was closely related to clinical practice performance, anxiety, physical fatigue and mental fatigue. Conclusions : In order to reduce physical, mental, neuro sensory fatigue of students in clinical practice, it is recommended to reinforce the patient care etiquettes in curricula.

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