• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.9-34
• /
• 2004

The present study reviews the license registration status of dental technicians and dentists from 1970 to 2002, the number of technician members of The Korea Dental Technician Association from 1990 to 2003, and the number of dentist members in 2003. It also considers the yearly membership fluctuations, its growth rates, yearly increase/decrease, the rate of dentist to dental technician, regional distribution of association members, regional yearly increase/decrease of the members, and the regional distribution of dentists and dental technicians. The purpose is to identify and predict the problems in the demand/supply of dental technicians and the regional imbalance of manpower distribution. By doing so, this study attempts to propose the appropriate standard for the supply of dental technicians and point out the necessity of making mid- or long-term plans for ensuring the efficiency of manpower supply and balanced regional distribution. The result is as follows: 1. The number of dental technicians and dentists in 2002 has grown 36.79 and 9.27 times from 1970, and 2.20 and 2.05 times from 1990, respectively. It tool 11 years for the twofold increase of dental technicians from 1990, one year faster than the same increase of dentists. The number of dental technicians per a dentist was the lowest in 1972 (0.21 person), and the highest in 2002 (0.86 person). Specifically, the fastest growth was observed for a year from 1983 (0.47 technician per a dentist) to 1984 (0.6). From 1984 to 1986, the ratio grew by 0.1 every year. Summing up the numbers of dentists and dental technicians who passed the national certification examination, this study predicted the number of dental technicians per a dentist to be 0.88 in 2003, and 0.90 in 2004. 2. From 1990 to 2003, the average distribution of dental technician was 71.76% in the metropolitan areas and 28.24% in other smaller regions. The proportion of dental technicians working in the three major cities (Seoul, Busan, and Daegu) was the lowest in 2001 (52.39%) and the highest in 1996 (62.66%). The majority number of dental technicians who practiced in the metropolitan areas (about 70% of the entire population) were in service in the three major cities. 3. Compared with 1990, the number of dental technicians in 2003 grew 2.28 times in the large cities, and 2.05 times in other smaller regions. The yearly growth rate was the highest in 1994 over the previous year: 26.06% in large cities and 17.86% in the other regions. In the large metropolitan cities, the growth rate was the highest in Incheon (5.8 times for 5 years from 1998 to 2003), In the rest of the regions, the increase of dental technicians was the highest in Gyeonggi (6.5 times from 1990 to 2003). 4. In 2003, as much as 73.40% of all the members of the Korea Dental Technician Association were distributed in the large metropolitan cities, and the rest 26.60% were in other smaller regions. Meanwhile, 54.35% of the dentists practiced in the metropolitan cities, and the rest 45.65% were in service at other regions. This result indicates that more dental technicians than dentists are concentrated in large cities. More than half of all the technician members of the Association are distributed in the three major cities (i.e. Seoul, Busan, Daegu). On the other hand, 42.03% of dentist members are in these three cities and 53.97% of them practice in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Busan. In 2003, the ratio of dentist to dental technician is 1:0.43 in general, while the ratio is 1:0.58 in the metropolitan cities, and 1:0.43 in other regions. In 2003, 33.30% of all the certified dental technicians are the member of the Korea Dental Technician Association, while 66.82% of all the licensed dentists are its members.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.179-198
• /
• 2000

Since dental prosthesis is made possible only when dental technicians give themselves to the study of knowledge and the acquisition of updated skills, continuing education is of great importance in that it makes up for the efforts of dental technicians. Accordingly, continuing education relates to a system designed to contribute to the enhancement of the talents of dental technicians and the dental health of the nation. Specialized knowledge and information may work as the best weapon to preserve their jbs. This is true of this modern society where no one can expecth to survive without acquiring knowledge and information constantly for work is getting more classified and more divirsifide. This paper is dedicated to take a look at the current condition of the continuing education of dental technicians and to come up with measure to make general evaluation and to improve continuing education. This research resorts to 609 questionnaires among 6433 copies save unfaithfully responded 34 copos with 6.431 dental technicians as the subjects enrolled in the Dental technician Association. The collected questionnaires consist of 365 dental technicians living in Seoul and of 244 ones, Which account for 11.8 percent of dental technicians enrolled in the association. Because dental technicians live more in local areas than Seoul, the generalization of this survey leaves something to be desired. I have come up with the following findings. 1. 6,431 dental technicians, or 36.3 percent of an total of 14,956 licensed dental technicians, were admitted as numbers of the Dental Tachnician Association as of October 31, 1999. In the '98 continuing education. 4,141 dental technicians among 4,711 dental technicians got relevant training, and in the '99 continuing education, 4,075 technicians, or 75.9 percent of 5,365 technicians got relevant training while 1,290 technicians or 24.2 percent, fail to get relevant training. 2. The survey has it that 38.1 percent of dental technicians are ignorant of the laws on continuing education, and that technicians staying in local communities(146 persons, or 61.6%) take more part in education than those living in the capital of Korea(159 persons, or 146%), and that the older they are, the more money they earn, the more carrer they have, the higher position they hold, the more part they take in education 3. According to the survey, those who have the experience of getting training more than three times account for 52 persons(16.8%) in Seoul and 47 persons(22.4%) in local districts(p<0.01). In terms of sanctions in relation to continuing education, 26 dental technicians(4.6%) say that they have ever gotten sanctions, and 533 dental technicians(95.4%) say that they haven't. And those who were absent from continuing education(72 technicians : 13.51%) didn't get any sanction. 4. In terms of the degree of understanding continuing education, local technicians(46.8% : 110 persons) have a higher understanding of continuing education than their countparts staying in Seoul(36.0% : 130). Continuing education is not the ultimate goal itself. It should be changed to motivate those who get education to be willing to take part in contunuing education, and to help dental technicians in a practical and specific way. And the branch societies should be developde to engage in more specialized and classified expert fields. Of course, the curriculum should be so selected that the conceptions of dental technicians may be reflected to the maximum extent, and the ultimate effores should be made to effect diversity in the ways of educational methods and to perfect the preparation of continuing education on the part of instructors. Regulations should be established in relation to continuing education with a veiew to enhancing the participation of continuing education and its effectiveness. The supervision of the Ministry of Health and Welfare is of great importance in this context. The regulation of continuing education is not administrative regulation, but the expression of national will to guarantee the medical service of the nation at highest level. Therefore, it is necessary that the Ministry of Health and Welfare should change their understanding of the needs for the continuing education of dental experts, and that the expertise of government employees in charge of continuing education should be expanded. It goes without saying that the government should suppory continuing education in a financial way so as to supply the person in charge of public welfare and control the quality of national medicine.