• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.409-423
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• 2019

The purposes of this study was to confirm the current issues of workforce policy of dental auxiliary personnel in Korea. The literature review and data collection were conducted in terms of the auxiliary personnel supply, regional distribution, legal works, working environment. Despite the rapid increase in the number of dental hygienists, the number of active dental hygienists is less than half of the total, and the dental clinics still experience the shortage. Considering the dental hygienist's work, the available dental auxiliary personnel for the dental assistance is limited. The proportion of dental hygienists is concentrated in large cities, and the ratio of dental clinics composed of only dental hygienists is high. Thus, it is essential to look for a plan to solve the disparity. The criterion for judging the legality of the works is ambiguous because a large portion of dental hygienist's work is not specified in the Medical Technicians Act. The job life is also shortened, and occupational profession and satisfaction are lowered. Thus, job burnout is accelerating. The difference between the legal works and the practiced works of dental hygienist and the conflict between the personnel might be due to the lack of utilization plans for the dental personnel at the government level. Therefore, the government should establish the roles of dental hygienist in accordance with the demands of the dental health service, institutionalize the necessary policies accordingly, and make efforts to establish plans to improve the relevant laws and utilize the manpower appropriately.

• Journal of Korean Dental Hygiene Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.51-62
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the status and views on the dental team composition and works, the experience of a dental manpower shortage and opinions on the solution. The subjects were 313 dentists and dental hygienists. The mobile questionnaires were conducted on the status of dental team composition and works, the experience of a dental manpower shortage and opinions on the solution. There was no big difference between the current dental team composition and ideal composition ratio, and dentists answered that it would be more ideal to reduce dental hygiene and increase nurse assistant when the working dentist was 3~5. 85.6% of the dentists and 56.4% of the dental hygienists had difficulty in employing the dental auxiliary personnel. The difficulty level was 8 out of 10 points among dentists and 5.7 points among dental hygienists. 91.1% of the dentists and 95.5% of the dental hygienists agreed on the necessity of expanding the dental hygienist's work. The dental works were temporary crown making and setting, surgical operation assistance, and overall dental assistance. Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to continuously make efforts to communicate with the dental personnel in Korea to solve a lot of problems such as the job assignment, the dental personnel policy and system, and the work environment.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.441-453
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• 2021

Objectives: This study identified problems and improvements in projects targeted to dental workers in a child-adolescent dental care service. Methods: The subjects were 40 dentists, 43 dental hygienists, and 51 others who participated in service in Seoul. A self-administered questionnaire was used to address the problems and improvements in the project. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and one-way analysis of variance were performed using SPSS 23.0. Results: Oral examination was performed by 99.2% of dentists, and some service items such as professional tooth cleaning, fluoride application, and scaling were performed by dental auxiliary personnel regardless of legal duties. The problem was that the subjects took a lot of time in providing services, and students or guardians participating in the project refused to receive preventive dental services. As regards improvements, the insurance fee was the highest (48.1%), followed by the provision of regular services (38.8%), and system improvement and administrative support (35.7%). Conclusions: To activate a child-adolescent dental care service, it is thought that continuous efforts such as providing financial support by the government, education to increase participants' understanding, and social consensus for the participation of service providers and beneficiaries are required.