• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.365-373
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• 2023

Purpose: In the context of COVID-19, studies evaluating the adherence of dentists and dental students to infection control are relevant due to their high occupational exposure and risk, as well as their responsibility for disseminating information and good practices. This study evaluated the adherence of dentists and dental students to infection control in the oral radiology field in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic on different continents. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study involved individuals who performed intraoral radiographic examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Questionnaire on Infection Control in Oral Radiology was administered virtually using a Google Form. Participants from different continents(the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania) were recruited. Data were subjected to descriptive analysis and simple and multiple binary regression (5%). Results: There were 582 valid answers, and 68.73% of the participants were from the Americas, 18.90% from Europe, and 12.37% from Asia. The median score for infection control protocols was 94 points for dental students and 104 points for dentists, and participants below the median were considered to have low adherence to infection control in oral radiology. Low access to infection control was found for 53.0% of dentists in the Americas, 34.0% from Europe, and 26.9% from Asia. Conclusion: The adherence to infection control protocols in oral radiology was low even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results may help improve the awareness of students and professionals, since oral radiology routines have the potential for transmitting COVID-19.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.843-855
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• 1995

Occupational Dentistry was introduced in Korea about 70 years ago. During the colonial period occupied by Japan till 1945, there were few documents about industrial dentistry, furthermore most cases of occupational diseases and accidents might have been concealed intentionally by the colonial government. After being an independent country, several dentists made efforts to set up 'Preventive Dentistry for Workers' performing specific oral health surveys, even though which were stopped by Korean War. In 1960s' and 1970s', some investigations of oral status were carried out intermittently for specific small groups;white-collar workers, mentally retarded person, buddhist monks and crews of ocean liners. At the same time there was important study in Korean history of occupational dentistry, which was 'a comparison of the oral hygiene conditions in the female workers of a spinning factory at intervals of 30 years.' In 1980s', young researchers began to give attention to erosion of the teeth due to sulphuric acid in the acid-related industry and dental caries due to sugar and flour in the sweets industry. After being democratic labor union movement activated in 1987, hidden and suppressed occupational diseases under the military dictatorship were exposed and flushed in the newspapers. It was shocking for all people that 15-year old boy had been dead due to mercury intoxication after 3-month employment in 1988. In 1990s', the activity for studying oral status of workers in their workplaces was launched and 'Occupational Accidents and Diseases in Oral and Maxillofacial Field' was published. And also The Korean Association of Occupationl Dentistry was established. Oral health examination of workers at the time of employment and of workers exposed to 5 special chemicals at the time of routine special health examination was adopted in 1992, and epocally oral health examination was also included in periodic routine examination of workers' health in 1995. So, occupational dentistry in Korea should cope with the changing needs of working environment and the altering scheme of health examination.

• 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.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.249-258
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• 2015

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are the representative sleep disordered breathings, caused by the temporary and repetitive constriction or obstruction of upper airway during sleep. They present with excessively vibratory noise and repetitive cease of respiration. These disorders commonly result in sleep disturbance and the subsequent daytime sleepiness, chronic fatigue. Furthermore, they can cause the serious and extensive complications including increased risk of hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular accident, neurocognitive disturbance, traffic and occupational accidents, type II diabetes, childhood growth interruption, awakening headache and finally, relatively increased mortality rate. Because appropriate therapeutic intervention is best way for patients to relieve their symptoms and prevent their possible complications, it is very important for dentists to recognize their own role and responsibility in diagnosis and treatment of these disorders. For this, the present article provides the understanding of the clinical features, possible complications, various treatment modalities, and suitable treatment strategies for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship among knowledge, attitude, and behavior of dental personnel about the defense against dental radiation according to general features, and help them recognize the importance of defense against dental radiation. A questionnaire survey of 187 dental personnel who were working in 121 medical institutions such as university hospitals, general hospitals, hospitals, clinics, and public health centers in Seoul area was conducted from December 2002 to January 2003. Study findings are as follows: 1. The average knowledge score for the defense of radiation was 9.51(full score=14): By the demographic features, the know level for the defense of radiation was appeared to be different with the occupational category, age, academic background, workplace, year of working, and whether having the education of radiation or not. By questionnaire items, the knowledge for the defense of radiation was high in general, but for the item. 'the average amount of being bombed with radiation according occupations cannot be over 20mSv in a year for prescribed 5 years'. it was 18.7%: and for the item. 'the longer the length between focus and film. the less the amount of skin exposure', it was 40.6%. showing less knowledge for these two items. 2. The average attitude score for the defense of radiation was 64.24 (full score=75): By the demographic features, the attitude score was higher with respondents who were 31-35 years old. 11-15 years of working. and having radiation education. The attitude score by questionnaire items was generally high for all the items. 3. The average behavior score for the defense of radiation was 45.43: (a) By the demographic features, the behavior score for the defense of radiation was appeared to be higher with respondents who were dentists for occupational category, the aged for age, holding higher diploma for academic background, working in the university hospitals for workplace, and having longer occupational career for the year of working. (b) The behavior score for the defense of radiation by questionnaire items was lower than that of the attitude score for all the items. For the item, 'the amount of X-ray radiation is adjusted according to such conditions as patients' age, radiating areas, and kind of films', the score was 4.03; and for the item, 'Must receive the education of safety management of radiation periodically', the score was 1.73 and it was the lowest one. 4. As for the correlation among the knowledge, attitude, and behavior for the defense of radiation, the higher the level of knowledge and attitude, the higher the level of behavior.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.93-102
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• 2018

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth interview with dentists in order to provide fundamental data regarding their thoughts in relation to the dental hygiene process of care and its necessity in clinical practice, with the aim of ensuring that dental hygienists can perform their duties as experts. Method : Following explanation of the study, we administered the questionnaire to those who agreed to participate between September 26 and October 28, 2017. A Naver-form (mobile) questionnaire was distributed to the research subjects for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) 24.0. Analysis was performed by calculating the frequency and percentage of the general characteristics of the subjects, occupational expertise, and the dental hygiene process of care. Result : Among the 56 research subjects, 48 (85.7 %) were men and 8 (14.3 %) were women. Awareness on the part of respondents of the job responsibilities associated with the dental hygiene process of care ratio was as follows: 11 (19.6 %) categorized their level of knowledge regarding the dental hygienist's job duties as "very much know"; 13 (23.2 %) as "somewhat know"; 18 (32.1 %) as "neither"; and 9 (16.1 %) as "somewhat don't know", while 5 (9.0 %) said "I have no idea". The dental hygiene process of care was categorized as "very much necessary" by 50.0 % of respondents; as "somewhat necessary" by 35.7 %; and as "neither" by 14.3 %. Conclusion : The dental hygiene process of care is one of the methods used to continuously manage patients with dental-related concerns. Recently, the management of patients in the dental clinic has changed from a disease treatment model to a concept of active prevention for improving the quality of life related to oral health. The dental hygiene process of care is considered a very necessary dental health care service because it functions to continuously introduce oral health care or preventive care programs in clinical practice.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.62-69
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• 2020

This study intended to evaluate noise level of dental handpieces and the effects of noise cancelling devices. An ear model was designed to measure the level of the noise delivered to the inner ear during dental handpiece operation. The level of noise was measured in various conditions using the ear model and the portable noise meter. Noise level was measured again after applying of 4 different noise cancelling devices to the model ear. The noise level of dental handpieces was 82.5 - 84.4 dB. When 4 types of noise canceling devices were applied, the noise level reduced to 67.4 - 73.8 dB. All 4 devices had statistically significant effect in reducing the noise of the handpiece. Considering the intensity and exposure time, noise in dental clinics can cause hearing damage to dentists. For protection from the risk of occupational hearing damages, noise canceling devices can be recommended.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.105-119
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• 2008

This study explored the status of free time activities among the dental technicians who are working at Seoul, Gyonggido, and Gangwondo. On the basis of this research, we aim to present needs and applicable solutions to improve the working conditions and enhance the quality of life through more effective time management in free time activities that lead to their self development and far more enriched life. 500 subjects were randomly chosen and the questionary sheets were provided. Among them, 305 sheets were returned to be analysed through SPSS Win 10.0 software and the results are as follows; First, mean in the satisfaction of leisure activities was 3.44(SD=.73). Mean in sub categories was as follows; psychological factor(M=3.65, SD=.71), social factor(M=3.54, SD=.75), rest factors(M=3.52, SD=.63), physical factor(M=3.43, SD=.88), other factors(M=3.40, SD=.66), circumstantial factor(M=3.33, SD=.63), educational factor(M=3.24, SD=.73). Second, the most relevant sub categories in the satisfaction of leisure activities were social, educational, physical, and other circumstantial factors by sequence. Factors that affect leisure activities satisfaction were career and status of health, which shows statistical significance(p<.001). That is to say, contention of this study is that the general characteristics are closely related with and affect the types and the level of satisfaction in leisure activities of the subjects. Considering these results, the dental businesses and the associations of dental technicians should recognize the needs to improve the time management through more efficient cooperations between dentists and back office dental team, systemized working time, and introduction of incentive system among others. On the basis of this appreciation, the dental business should provide more time and various opportunities with the dental technicians. Dental technicians also need to reconsider their appreciations of leisure activities, that is, leisure activities are not just spending time doing something but they refresh them and enable them to be more active and faithful to home and work.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.469-476
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• 2019

The purpose of this study examines the education, knowledge and behavior of radiation safety management among dental workers and compares the education, knowledge and behavior between dental hygienist group and other occupational groups. This study was conducted from November 2nd to November14th, 2019. The survey was conducted on dental workers(dental hygienists, nursing, assistants, coordinators, etc.) who worked in dental hospitals and clinics in Busan area. The tool of this study was modified and adapted to the clinical setting based on the questionnaire. Radiation safety education has 39 dental hygienists who had more education than non-dental hygienists (p=0.286). The most common types of radiation safety education were self-education which usually performed by dentistry, followed by conservative education and others. The average of radiation attitudes, knowledge and behaviors was higher in the dental hygienist group then in the non-dental hygienist group. On the item-specific behavior among employees, the question of 'the radiation should be shielded according to the menstrual cycle or pregnancy of the woman of childbearing' was significant (p<0.05). On the item-specific knowledge between occupations, the question of 'the intensity of X-rays decreases over distance' and 'the individual exposure can be measured by TLD badge or film badge' was significant (p<0.05). Taken together, these results indicate that the dental hygienist group is more concerned about radiation safety and that the dental hygienist group is receiving more radiation safety management training. However, if there is a low level of 'has experienced' in the presence or absence of safety management education, it is difficult to train radiation safety management in dentistry. Therefore, it is considered that dentists should be trained in radiation safety management periodically to pay attention to radiation safety accidents.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.239-245
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• 2003

The occurrence and pattern of tooth wear are related to cultural, dietary, occupational, and geographic factors, Excessive occlusal wear can result in pulpal exposure, occlusal disharmony, functional inability. Surface loss can be differentiated into 3 general causal categories: i) mechanical loss, which includes attrition, ii) abrasion chemical loss including erosion, and finally iii) a proposed biomechanical category described as abfraction. Considering that mechanical wear is frequently asymptomatic, patients may have parafunctional habit. Structured clinical decision analysis in fixed prosthodontics, as other branches of dentistry do, allows the practitioner to consider the patient's problems more thoroughly based on the clinical data and extenuation factors. This discipline of decision making is intended to complement the experience level and educational background of the clinician in assisting the patient through the decision process. Additionally, CDA helps the clinician define not only the pre-existing condition of the patient prior to irreversible therapy, but also better treatment strategies for the patient over an extended period. The systematic nature of decision analysis stimulates the dentists to pay further attention to those factors, which is germane to the overall complexity of the case, and exclude factors, which have little influence on its final outcome. Further implementation of computerized databases, procedural outcome probabilities based on clinical and laboratory studies and the clinical experience of those who use it, may provide quite a promising future in the field of structured and formalized clinical decision analysis.