• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2024

This study provides the underlying data on the inclusion of medical technologists in the category of medical personnel. Medical personnel are defined in the Medical Service Act as physicians, dentists, oriental medicine doctors, midwives, and nurses. In the act, medical technologists shall be classified into clinical laboratory technologists (clinical pathology technologists in the Korean language), radiological technologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dental technologists, and dental hygienists. Although South Korea's medical personnel do not include medical technologists, Japan and Taiwan define them as medical personnel. Various standard occupational classification such as International Standard Classification of Occupations 2008, Korean Standard Classification of Occupations 2017, Japan Standard Occupational Classification 2009, Taiwan Standard Occupational Classification 2010, and USA Standard Occupational Classification 2018 were compared. The education system for medical health technologists was explained to include 4-year university and 3-year junior college programs. The roles of medical technologists in medical practice, therapy, and medical assistance were outlined. These basic materials incorporate the need for discussions about the meaning of including medical technologists in the type of medical personnel. These discussions will contribute to the legalization of medical technologists' professionality with regard to their inclusion in the type of medical personnel.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.191-197
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to examine the awareness of dental patients using dental institutions about dental hygienists in an effort to help educate dental hygiene students to have the right image of dental hygienists. And it's also meant to provide education for dental hygienists to develop their own capabilities, attitude and values to render quality medical services to patients. The subjects in this study were the patients who visited dental clinics and hospitals to receive treatment. A self- administered survey was conducted from March 5 to April 13, 2010, in consideration of their general characteristics. The answer sheets from 204 respondents were gathered, and 197 answer sheets were analyzed except seven incomplete ones. A factor analysis was carried out to find out their general characteristics, and independent-samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were utilized to get statistical data on mean and standard deviation. A SPSS 12.0 program was employed to analyze all the collected data. And it's found that the largest number of the patients thought that the main duty of dental hygienists was to give treatment to patients, and they took a favorable view of their services. They weren't well aware of the process of nurturing dental hygienists and their curriculum, and they put a relatively strong confidence in their treatment and had relatively favorable experiences with them.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.349-355
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• 2020

The use of an obturator prosthesis for patients with maxillary defects is a common treatment method to improve their oral function and achieve esthetic satisfaction. However, due to various difficulties and complexities, conventional methods for fabricating dental obturators continue to pose a challenge for dentists and patients, as well as laboratory technicians. CAD-CAM technologies may make it simple to fabricate maxillofacial prostheses including hollow obturators, which could improve comfort for clinicians by reducing burdensome manipulations. In addition, patients without a specialist in their vicinity will be able to be treated via cooperation between a nearby general practitioner and a distant prosthodontist. The aim of this clinical report is to investigate the possibility of using digitally fabricated maxillofacial prostheses that can be designed in one location, and manufactured in another in clinical situations.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.689-695
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to examine the image for dental hygienists and career consideration in academic high school students. A self-reported questionnaire was surveyed by 199 high school students in Gwangju. The questionnaire composed subject's general characteristics, image for dental hygienists, career consideration. The data were analyzed for independent t-test or Mann-Whitney test, one-way ANOVA or Kruskal wallis test and pearson's correlation coefficient by using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 21.0 program. The average of total image was 3.36, personal images were 3.64, occupational images were 3.47, business images were 3.42, social images were 2.83 in the five-point scale. The image of dental hygienists was higher significantly in case of having a dental practitioner in the family, treatment experience less than 1 year, and treatment in dental hospital. The participants who considered to be dental hygienist were higher significantly in occupational and social images. There were positive correlations among the personal, occupational, business, social images of dental hygienists. These results showed that general images for dental hygienists were slightly positive but among them, social image was the lowest level. It showed that most students didn't consider to be dental hygienist. Therefore, we suggested to enhance positive recognition for dental hygienists be needed.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.301-307
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine factors related to the satisfaction of dental service in college women. This survey was conducted between March 14, 2014 and April 21, 2014 to investigate the influence on dental care satisfaction in college women. Data were obtained from 412 college women of some areas. At the conclusion of this investigation, as for the correlation analysis between variables affecting college women satisfaction, every variables showed significantly positive relation, and the relation between satisfaction of dental hygienist and satisfaction of hospital environment had the strongest positive relation (p<0.01). To increase the satisfaction in dental clinic, it is necessary to provide the continuing education programs for dental service to dental clinic worker.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.199-208
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• 2018

In this study, the impact of the emotional labor on the job satisfaction according to the service characteristics and the patient type was investigated in the 269 dental hygienist. The average score of the emotional labor according to the general characteristics was 2.85 and it was higher in case of the male and in case of the drinkers. The average score of the job satisfaction according to the general characteristics was 3.02 and the female was higher than the male, the older professionals than the younger professionals and the married was higher than the singles. In the emotional labor according to the service characteristics, the dental hygienist was highest than the other professionals and in the job satisfaction according to the service characteristics, it was higher the higher the career and the higher the income. In the emotional labor by patient type, it was highest when the patient was male, when ages were between 20 and 64, and when it was after 7 PM. The job satisfaction by patient type was higher when the patient age was 65 years old or older, when the type of treatment was dental caries and periodontal diseases, when the consultation hour was after 7 PM and when the economic level of patient was high. The job satisfaction was increased when the emotional labor was 'average' but was analyzed as the lowest when the emotional labor was high. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to examine the effects of work characteristics, patient type, and emotional labor on job satisfaction(t = 1.994, p = .047), which had high monthly incomes Patients with older patients (t = 3.027, p = .003), the lower the emotional labor (t = 13.858, p = .000), the higher the job satisfaction. That is, to increase the job satisfaction of the dental health professionals, the effort to make the pleasant working environment should be made considering the emotional labor or the characteristics of patient.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.357-366
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of dental hygienist job according to judgment standard of medical practice in medical law. In this study, we conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey to evaluate the validity of dental hygienist job for 12 professors of dental college in Gangneung-Wonju National University from November 10 to 20, 2017. We investigated whether the dental hygienist job conforms to the three criteria of medical practice such as disease prevention and treatment, patient care, and health hazard. The response rates were scored and classified into four categories according to the final score. As a result of this study, dental hygienist job are classified into four categories according to judgment standard of medical practice. The higher the level of the category, the higher the degree of difficulty, and the higher the level of expertise and skills required. More than 50% of respondents answered that measuring the gingival pocket, bleeding on probing, professional tooth cleaning, oral health education, counseling after dental treatment are all three criteria for medical treatment. And these were classified into Level 4 group which requires the difficulty and expertise in the final score 4.3. It is necessary to develop and utilize standardized guidelines on the level of knowledge, education, and qualification standards required for dental practice in order to effectively allocate work among the dental personnel while ensuring the health rights of patients in the dental clinic field in Korea. In addition, there is a need to evaluate the various aspects of cost effectiveness, dental health service productivity, and health promotion contribution to dental hygienist jobs, And based on this evidence, it is necessary to continue to expand and adjust the dental hygienist job and to reorganize the dental workforce system.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.41-54
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• 2014

In spite of the word esthetics having been familiar to us during the last twenty odd years, difficulties are still faced nowadays as if new challenges constantly emerge. This is perhaps best interpreted as a tendency to avoid dealing with it owing to the fact we are not quite used to it. It is probably a lack of a basic roadmap for esthetics, not of evolution. Every prosthesis has its own strengths and weaknesses. Expected results would be obtained if and when the patient's adaptation to prosthesis is correctly anticipated, appropriate diagnoses made and optimal pre-operative measures taken. At this stage, communication and patient information sharing between the dentist and dental technician are very important factors in the treatment process, as well as each party's unique specialized role. It would not be an exaggeration to state that the success of a lab made prosthesis would depend on how well these factors have been systemized. Based upon the above treatment procedures, it is now intended to examine esthetic prostheses involving porcelain laminate veneers that enable the most conservative treatment with the most significant favorable characteristics.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.329-338
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• 2018

This study was conducted to examine musculoskeletal disorder and analyze the effects of musculoskeletal pain control and self-efficacy on musculoskeletal disorders in dental hygienists. Material and Methods; 483 dental hygienists residing in Gwangju were collected by the convenience sampling method and the self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted. Frequency analysis, crosstab analysis, t-test, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used for analysis. Results: the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among subjects was 83.9% for the prior year, with 29.8% of patients being afflicted by musculoskeletal disorders. The factors influencing musculoskeletal disorders were musculoskeletal pain resolution. For pain resolution, the odds ratio of musculoskeletal disorders of the group who answered treatment in a hospital, an Oriental medicine clinic, or a pharmacy was 0.22 (95% confidence interval, 0.14-0.34) compared with the group who answered sick leave or task change, suggesting a negative relationship. These findings indicate that people with musculoskeletal disorders were not treated in the hospital, Oriental medicine clinic, or pharmacy. Therefore, it is necessary to improve medical management (oriental medicine, intravenous injection or medication, heat therapy or cryotherapy, steroid treatment, counseling, endovascular treatment using spinal cord stimulation, physical therapy, stretching, rehabilitation, and manual therapy) and job environment and to make a good approach to the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders to control dental hygienists' musculoskeletal pain.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to find out experiences of dental hygienists working on dental care sites, to prevent potential malpractice accidents and disputes, and to examine why it is necessary to provide corresponding education or training courses. As a result, this study came to the following conclusions: 1. It was found that 32.5% had ever experienced in malpractice suits or disputes, and 55.0% of such experienced group had ever experienced in malpractice suits or disputes concerned with dental hygienists. 2. According to inquiry on whether dental hygienists have certain liability for malpractice disputes, it was found that 66.3% respondents ascribed the medical liability to dental hygienists. And according to inquiry for those respondents on liability ratio, it was found that 57.1% of them thought 11%~30% as appropriate liability ratio. 3. According to survey on extent of doubts about potential malpractice accidents and disputes in future, it was found that 72.4% respondents sometimes had doubts about them. 4. It was found that 64.2% respondents thought it necessary and urgent to provide education related to prevention and countermeasures for malpractice disputes.