• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2013

Objectives : In order to make a proposal of a Korean standard dental hygiene curriculum, the job description of the National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board was analyzed to prepare a job analysis matrix of dental hygienist to select required core competency. Methods : Data were analyzed to test the job validity of dental hygienist and categorize the duties of dental hygienist. A proposal of a standard dental hygiene curriculum was mapped out by making a comparative analysis of the courses necessary for American authorization of dental hygiene curriculum, existing proposals of Korean standard dental hygiene curriculum and the courses of the departments of dental hygiene offered by domestic three-year colleges and four-year universities. Results : Basic medicine courses were reinforced or newly offered to provide an opportunity for students to transfer to a domestic four-year university or to a foreign university. In the field of clinical dental hygiene and practice, preventive dentistry, prophylaxis and practice were integrated, and the names of the related courses were unified to give a chance for students to engage in comprehensive dental hygiene practice. There were different courses for dental clinical science at present. In this proposal, students should earn 125 credits in total. Conclusions : Standard dental hygiene curriculum proposal was required by three-year and four-year colleges across the nation. To make it happen, the original names of dental hygiene courses should be used, and the dental hygiene certification and evaluation institute that is under the umbrella of the Korean Dental Hygienists Association should lay out the standard of the KSDHEP to facilitate the utilization of the standard dental hygiene curriculum proposal.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.123-133
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to analyze in depth the standardized Clinical dental hygiene curriculum of the Fones School in the United States. We investigated the clinical dental hygiene curriculum in 2015~2016 including title, credit, hours, contents, goals, competencies, and evaluation. We obtained the course syllabus and data related to each subject, for each grade, from the professors and students at the university. The goals and competencies, of the clinical dental hygiene program, which were based on the goals of the Fones School and the mission of the University of Bridgeport, were developed in accordance with the dental hygienist practice standards proposed by the American Dental Hygienists Association. The curriculum consisted of theory to teach proper dental hygiene care procedures and incorporated practical exercises that modeled an actual clinical setting. The students had to document the procedures performed for each client/patient and improve their clinical competency through discussion with the professors. Dental hygiene care should be provided for children, adolescents, adults, elderly, and patients, which includes patients with moderate or severe periodontal status. Students were evaluated by a paper test or case study presentation and their clinical evaluation was based on their clinical competency. In particular, professors evaluated students on a rotational basis, so they could evaluate the level of achievement of clinical competency of all students and find ways to improve any weaknesses. Therefore, the current study suggested that clinical dental hygiene program in Korea could be improved if based on the curriculum of Fones School in the United States.