• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.1460-1467
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• 2004

Purpose. This study examined the predictive factors enabling access to children's oral health care at the level of financial barriers, beliefs, and the provider. Methods. In-depth interviews were conducted with 320 immigrant mothers of low-income families regarding their use of oral health services for children aged four to eight years old. Access to oral health care was measured with frequency of planned dental visits, continuity of care, and age at first visit to dentist. Results. The mother took her child to the dentist at a younger age if she received referrals to a dentist from pediatrician. Regular dental visits were significantly related to household income, provider availability on week-ends, and insurance coverage. The extended clinic hours in the evenings, and the belief in the importance of the child's regular dentist visits increased the likelihood of continuing care. The mothers perceiving a cost burden for the child's dental care were also less likely to return to the dentist. Conclusion. The available care delivery system, coordinated medical care, and health beliefs were among important predictors of the health service use. The study findings suggest need for culturally competent dental health interventions to enhance access to oral health care among particularly vulnerable populations such as low-income children in Korean communities.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.211-225
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• 2021

Objectives: To validate the role of a new information and communication technology platform that we created for the betterment of the oral health of persons with disabilities and for providing appropriate health care services. Methods: A Delphi survey was conducted among 16 people in various professions, including academia, government agencies, and dentistry, to evaluate the validity of the information and communication technology platform. Moreover, platform satisfaction was evaluated using a user experience questionnaire among 200 people, including persons with disabilities, parents, and public institutions. Results: Experts in consensus indicated a high validity for the categories of service provider (CV=0.29, CVR=0.69), service target (CV=0.29, CVR=0.38), service contests (CV=0.27, CVR=0.63), and financial support (CV=0.30, CVR=0.63) in our information and communication technology platform. In addition, information from questionnaires on user experience and communication technology satisfaction analysis showed that both users and providers were highly satisfied with the platform. Conclusions: The provision of oral health services based on the new information and communication technology platform has numerous advantages, in addition to providing adequate oral health care for the disabled. Furthermore, the social safety net for improved oral health may be further strengthened.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.131-138
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of incremental oral health care perceptions and experiences on oral health care performance by analyzing the results of incremental oral health care management for adults. As age increased, incremental oral health care experience is significantly higher. The results have shown that as age increases, interest in incremental oral health care becomes even higher. And, the group using secondary oral care products has significantly higher incremental oral care experience(p<0.05). Also, those who visit dental clinic regularly continue to experience incremental oral health care(p<0.05). In addition, the group that had experienced preventive dental services continued to be significantly highly relevant to oral health care(p<0.05). Based on the results of this study, it is possible to analyze the experience and influence of incremental oral health management and it can be used as basic data for the construction of incremental oral health care program in dental clinic.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.240-251
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• 2015

Background: Dentist's income is quite variable. We investigate the factors underlying the distribution of dental revenue and dentist income. Methods: Financial and structural variables of private dental practices(N=13,967) were examined with 2010 Economic Census microdata which include non-insurance revenue. We conducted quantile regression method(QRM) and ordinary least square(OLS) in treating skewness and heteroskedasticity of distributions. The effective estimation for the upper and lower range of distribution becomes possible by QRM. Results: Mid-career dentists are shown to have higher revenue and income. Male dentists achieve the higher revenue and income than female dentists in all quantiles. Group practices show lower income per owner than solo practices significantly. The revenue and income are increased with increasing size of clinics. The high cost in renting the clinic office is found to have a big positive effect on the revenue but a little positive effect on the income. Interestingly the density of dentists shows negative effect on the lowest quantile of the revenue but positive effect on the highest quantile. The lowest quantile of the revenue in the capital areas have the relatively high revenue. The lowest quantile of the income in metropolitan city show higher income than those in other areas significantly. Conclusion: The suggested QRM is shown to have more effective and efficient tool in finding out determinants of dentists' revenue and income of our concern. The results of this study are expected to be employed for dentists preparing for the opening practices in their organizational settings and locational selections. The distributional efficiency of dental human resources could be accomplished if policy makers guide dentists with this knowledge.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.413-425
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• 2011

Purpose: This study conducted a survey on the elderly with physical debilities, who are in a medically vulnerable social class, to examine closely their demo-sociological characteristics, unmet needs, dental states, and living qualities and satisfaction levels relating to oral health and social supports to them, and also to prepare the basis for effective public medical policies and health improvement programs aimed at improving the quality of life for the elderly with physical debilities. Methods: Twenty-two elderly care facilities within Jeju Special Self-Government Province participated in the survey. Between 11 January and 5 March 2010, a total of 250 elderly persons(65 and over) with physical debilities were interviewed and their dental health was checked. Results: The results of the survey are as follows. The need for social support for dental care of the elderly with physical debilities was high in the medical institution-supported service (49.6%). The unmet needs for physical care were high in bathing (49.6%) and using public transportation (71.6%). More than half of these surveyed had ten or fewer teeth. The survey found that 31.6% of the participants experienced problems eating, due to poor dental health. Concerning quality of life, 30.5% of those surveyed experienced physical pain. Conclusion: In summary, the ages of the survey participants directly relates to the degree of behavioral debility experienced. The more debility a participant exhibits, the greater is the need for social support and dental care. The dental health of a participant directly relates to a higher quality of life. Good dental health of a participant translate to better quality of life. In light of the fact that the elderly with physical debilities suffer from a lack of accessibility to medical care and worse oral health than do other elderly persons, it is essential to increase accessibility to medical institutions that can provide such services as door to door dental care. Current insurance policies, funding for denture insurance, and free denture and denture-upgrade programs desperately need to be expanded. Therefore, to improve effectively the quality of life for the elderly with physical debilities civil dental medical resources should be encouraged to provide inclusive and prevention-focused medical care. In the public domain, door to door dental care services and cooperation with civil dental care resources need to be improved to increase impartial accessibility to dental medical institutions.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.729-733
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• 2016

Teleradiology is the electronic transmission of radiologic images from one location to another for the purpose of interpretation and/or consultation. Today, images can be easily transmitted to another location using the high-speed internet. In medical area, teleradiology has developed rapidly in recent 10 years due to the imbalance between the demand and availability of diagnostic services. However, teleradiology in dentistry is still inactive. I would like to overview the current teleradiology system, and discuss the necessity and the potentiality.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.294-305
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• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey on the senses of employment so that it could provide a basic reference required for good human resources specializing in oral health with responsibility as professional. Methods : To meet these goals, a self-administrated questionnaire survey was conducted to dental hygiene college students in Gwang-ju. Results : 1. It was found that 30.7% respondents wanted to be employed as government officials of oral health. Most respondents 37.4% answered that faithfulness is the highest value as prerequisite for employment in hospital. 2. It was found that interpersonal relationships among employees had most significant effects 4.58 score on selection of employment, which was followed by in-house welfare benefit (hospital size, rest room, ect; 4.31). 3. The survey on respondents' occupational sense was represented by hospital/clinic management and dental management support 25.2%, oral health education 22.7%, oral disease prevention 19.7% respectively. Conclusion : For future social awareness about dental hygienists as occupation, desirable training courses as a part of qualification for professional dental hygienists were represented by case management (services, manners, ect; 25.0%), implant (22.8%), esthetics 14.7% and so on. As for working years, it was noted that 13.2% respondents would keep working as dental hygienists as long as they could.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.279-296
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine what types of experiences dental hygienists underwent with patients who were unapproachable in an effort to find out the latter group's needs and expectations, explore how to treat them of different personality type, and provide better dental services in response to their needs. To attain the purpose, Q-methodology was employed, which made a subjective and systematic assessment of human subjectivity. There were three types of subjectivity among dental hygienists in conjunction with their experiences with patients who were hard to please. Each group whose subjectivity was different also had a different preference for patients, which was not exclusive to one another but unique. Type 1 was "avoiding patients who showed off". Dental hygienists of this type found it unpleasant to treat patients who boasted of their background, position or relations with the head of hospital and wanted to be given special treatment. They avoided those patients, since giving special treatment to specific patients was likely to do damage to others. They believed that better medical services could be provided through mutual concern and good manners between medical personnels and patients. Dental hygienists of type 2 considered it hard to treat patients who were picky and looked at treatment or its outcome negatively. Those who had to be separated from others on account of possible cross-infection or who called for special decontamination methods of dental instruments were also difficult to deal with. Dental hygienists of this type could be said to "avoid picky patients", as they preferred to fare with patients by offering good, faithful treatment rather than by giving special treatment. Dental hygienists of type 3 believed that smooth and successful treatment hinged on mutual trust, confidence and collaboration between medical personnels and patients. According to them, patients who choose a specific hospital or a particular medical team at their own option have to cooperate if necessary, listen carefully to medical personnels and treat them without any hostility or bias. Therefore, they could be said to "avoid patients who were not cooperative".

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.531-538
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate third and forth year dental students' perception towards dental hygienists as professionals. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 602 dental college students in Korea after receiving the informed consent. Except incomplete answers, 217 data were analyzed. The questionnaire consisted of three questions of the general perception towards dental hygienists, four questions of the cooperation relationship to the dental hygienists, four questions of oral health education, five questions of preventive dental health care, five questions of dental treatment cooperation, and five questions of dental health care management. The data were analyzed using PASW Statistics 18.0(SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Most of the dental college students viewed the dental hygienists as professionals. However, they did not exactly know the professional job of dental hygienists within the current national medical services system and they often viewed the dental hygienists as a medical assistant. The dental college students thought that the key role of the dental hygienists is the dental assisting. Only a small fraction of the participants recognized oral health promotion, preventive cares, and hospital management as professional roles of dental hygienists. Conclusions : Dental college students' perception towards dental hygienists as professionals needs to be improved. Understanding the job description of dental hygienists clearly is a crucial part of dental students' learning process and future practice.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.47-65
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• 2006

Objectives: This research is to provide the basic data for the improvement on oral health by examining the relationship between the dental fear and the dental service utilization, and to discuss a strategy for dental health in order to lower the level of dental fear. Methods: Data were collected by conducting a structured survey of 1,607 people between the age of 13 and 70 who have experiences in visiting a dental institution. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to analyze the relationship between the number of times dental service and dental fears. Results: The average level of dental fear the respondents reported was $52.16{\pm}15.71$ and 31.5% of the response was at the level of high dental fear. A strong physiologic response during the dental treatment was muscle tension and the stimulations that strongly arouse the dental fear were the anaesthetic needle and the sound of drill. A result of analysis on the relationship between the dental fear and the dental service utilization shows that as the level of dental fear became higher, the number of times for the dental service utilization for the last year had reduced. Also when a patient has an experience of putting off or canceling an appointment due to dental fear and as a physiologic response during the dental treatment became stronger, the result shows a tendency that the number of times for the dental service utilization for the last year had reduced. Conclusions: It has been observed that dental fear is one of the main barrier to use dental service. Therefore, a physio-psychological factor like the dental fear should be included in the task of promotion of dental health, and in analyzing the dental service utilization behavior. A discussion about how to lower dental fear was made with respect to oral health promotion. At individual level, improvement of communication skill by dental service providers should be made with rearrangement of clinic environment into more cozy one.