• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2007

The objective of this study is to suggest the utilization of educated dental hygienist as the solution to the problem of supply and demand in dental clinics that has been brought up recently. Through document research and National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board homepage, we estimated the number of dental hygienist and the condition of employment as well as gotten a grasp of the current activities carried out by dental hygienists. Furthermore, through discussion of researchers, suggested reform bills to guarantee and extend the work of dental hygienists as well as to train dental assistant. The findings were as follows: As the result of the estimation of dental hygienist, in the year 2009, two dental hygienists structure will be formed in each dental clinic. Currently the practice ratio of non-law activities of dental hygienists is high and in order to increase the practical use of dental hygienists, there is a need to reform bills that guarantee and extend the work of dental hygienists. In order to train new labors, there is a need for cautious consideration to distinguish the activities of existing trained labors, reforming of bills, and considering from various other sectors. From present point of view, solving the problem of existing trained dental hygienists, researching for the plan of utilizing dental hygienists and carrying it into practice must be the priority.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.685-693
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• 2011

Objectives : Five years have passed since the departments of dental hygiene with four-year term released their graduates. It is necessary to investigate concordance between desired career and current job and job satisfaction in dental hygienists according to graduation term. Accordingly, a survey on concordance between desired career and current job and job satisfaction in dental hygienists according to graduation term was conducted to obtain a basis necessary for providing right job consciousness to students of departments of dental hygiene. Methods : Of departments of dental hygiene nationwide, a total of four departments consisting of two departments with 3-year term and two departments with 4-year term were randomly selected. Of 683 graduates for 2006-10 of the selected departments, 163 graduates who agreed to participate in this study through telephone and e-mail were chosen as subjects. The data of 159 graduates were analyzed except for 4 graduates who did not respond to job satisfaction. The questionnaire consisted of a total of 17 questions: 5 general questions such as graduation term, and current job and salary, 2 questions for desired career at the time of entrance and graduation, and 10 questions for the satisfaction of current job and working environments. Concordance between the desired career at the time of entrance and graduation and current job was calculated using Kappa-value. A cross analysis was conducted to investigate job satisfaction according to general features and graduation term. A statistical significance was examined using $X^2$-test (p<0.05). Results : The Kappa-value for concordance between the desired career at the time of graduation and the current job was 0.288, showing slightly low concordance. In particular, the Kappa-value was 0.089 in the graduates of departments of dental hygiene with 3-year term, which showed significantly low concordance. The job satisfaction of the graduates was 49.1%, which was higher in the graduates with 4-year term than in the graduates with 3-year term, but was statistically insignificant (p>0.05). The detailed job satisfaction was all higher in the graduates with 4-year term than in the graduates with 3-year term except for distance to a working place, but a statistical significance was only found in working place recognition and regional status (p<0.05 ). Conclusions : This study showed differences in concordance between desired career and current job and job satisfaction between the graduates of departments of dental hygiene with 3-year term and the graduates of departments of dental hygiene with 4-year term. Therefore, the curriculum of department of dental hygiene is required to be more specifically applied in accordance with graduation term. In addition, a further study is required to develop specialized curriculums in accordance with graduation term.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.499-507
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to improve efficacy of oral health education in children and adolescents based on the experience and perception of oral health education in young adults who graduated from high school within 10 years. Questionnaires were given to 412 people, and among them, 388 completed survey forms were selected. The questionnaire included categories which examined one's experience and perception of oral health education, oral health knowledge, dental history, and oral health behavior. The results showed that the respondents perceived elementary school as the most effective period of oral health education. Oral examination with direct explanation was the most preferred method of oral health education, but web search was the main source of oral health information. And knowledge of fluoride and sealant about caries preventive effect was still lacking. Considering these results, oral examination with direct explanation and web search would be useful to improve efficacy of oral health education in children and adolescents.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.659-664
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• 2004

Dens invaginatus is a developmental variation resulting from invasination of the tooth crown of root before calcification. Teeth most affected are maxillary lateral incisors. The malformation shows a broad spectrum of morphologic variations and frequently results in early pulp necrosis. Root canal therapy may present severe problems because of the complex anatomy of the teeth. So, the early diagnosis of such malformation is crucial and a preventive approach has been recommended. This report describes three cases of dens invaginatus treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.73-81
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to collect basic data for the development of effective oral health education program in elementary school. The subjects in this study Were 604 fourth-year, fifth-year and sixth-year students of an elementary school in Seoul, Oral health awareness and behaviors were surveyed and analyzed. The findings of this study were as follows: 1. The most common time for toothbrushing was after dinner(62.0%) and before bedtime(62.3%). By school year, the largest number who brushed their teeth after dinner were fourth and fifth graders while the greatest number who did so after breakfast were sixth graders. Seventy-four percent of respondents brushed the teeth twice or more a day. By school year, the fifth-year students brushed their teeth the least while girls outperformed the boys in daily toothbrushing frequency(p<0.05). Regarding the intake of cariogenic food, 62.1% took that kind of food once or more a day. By school year, the fifth graders took the most (p<0.05), and girls took more cariogenic food than the boys(p<0.05). 2. Ninety percent of the respondents had visited a dental clinic. By grade, the sixth-year students had visited a dental clinic more frequently and girls more frequently than boys. Eighty percent of the respondents visited a dental clinic to receive treatment but just 12.3% visited a dental clinic to prevent oral diseases. Concerning the fear of dental treatment, only 14.4% expressed fear. School year made no difference, yet the percentage of girls who experienced fear was higher than that of boys(p<0.05). Regarding preventive treatment, 39.7% experienced pit and fissure sealing and 24.2% experienced the application of fluorides. All the students hadn't much experience in preventive treatment regardless of school year -- gender didn't make a difference. 3. Fourty-six percent of respondents had a preference for the fluoride mouth rinsing program; 38.4% wanted that program to continue. As to the reason for preference, 38.2% preferred it because of the prevention of dental caries, 43.0%, the largest percentage, didn't favor it because they found it too much trouble to do(some of the respondents gave two different answers). 4. Despite an increase in the frequency of toothbrushing at the right time, they still took cariogenic food frequently. Their visit to a dental clinics also aimed at treatment more than at prevention, and they had very narrow experience of preventive treatment Furthermore, the fluoride mouth rinsing program failed to draw their interest Therefore, it is recommended that a successful oral health education program should be developed.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.39-44
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• 2013

Most of the dental treatments have been routinely performed under the local anesthesia and the effectiveness has also been proved safe. However, even not frequently dentists face some complications associated with the local anesthesia. In this report, the experience of the paresthesia after mental nerve block anesthesia for an implant placement of the mandibular premolar was presented to raise awareness of the complications related with local anesthetic procedure and to discuss about the causes, the proper treatments and the preventive approach of the paresthesia.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.452-459
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• 2018

Objectives: We aimed to examine whether dental waste was being managed adequately at different types of dental institutions in City D in South Korea. Methods: The staff responsible for disinfection at 101 dental offices and clinics (six dentistry departments of general hospitals, 12 dental hospitals, and 83 dental clinics) was interviewed. Results: Solid suction pump waste was handled appropriately at four of the general hospital dentistry departments (66.7%), six dental hospitals (50.0%), and 15 dental clinics (18.1%). Solid spittoon waste was handled appropriately at four general hospital dentistry departments (66.7%), seven dental hospitals (58.3%), and 14 dental clinics (16.9%). Developer and fixer were handled appropriately by a subcontractor at two general hospital dentistry departments (100.0%), five dental hospitals (100.0%), and 24 dental clinics (75.0%). Impression materials were handled appropriately at four general hospital dentistry departments (66.7%), six dental hospitals (50.0%), and 11 dental clinics (13.3%). The plastic covers of intra-oral radiography films were handled appropriately at five general hospital dentistry departments (100.0%), eight dental hospitals (72.7%), and 22 dental clinics (30.1%). Conclusion: South Korea must implement detailed and specialized guidelines for the disposal of solid and general medical waste from dental institutions. Moreover, waste disposal training should be provided annually, and not only once every three years.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2020

Background: Dental treatment has shifted to the center of the community, and the public policy of the country has expanded to support the vulnerable classes such as the disabled. The dental profession needs education regarding oral health services for persons with disabilities, and it is necessary to derive the competencies for this. Therefore, we conducted this study to derive the normative ability to understand the role of a dental hygienist in the oral health service for persons with disabilities and improvement plans for education. Methods: We conducted a qualitative analysis for deriving competencies by analyzing the data collected through in-depth interviews with experts in order to obtain abilities through practical experience. Based on the competency criterion, relevant competency in the interview response was derived using the priori method, and it was confirmed whether the derived ability matched the ability determined by the respondent. Results: The professional conduct competencies of dental hygienists, devised by the Korean Association of Dental Hygiene, consists of professional behavior, ethical decision-making, self-assessment skills, lifelong learning, and accumulated evidence. Also, core competencies of the American Dental Education Association competencies for dental hygienist classification such as ethics, responsibility for professional actions, and critical thinking skills were used as the criterion. The dental hygienist's abilities needed for oral health care for people with disabilities, especially in the detailed abilities to fulfill these social needs, were clarified. Conclusion: To activate oral health care for people with disabilities, it is necessary for dental hygienists to fulfill their appropriate roles, and for this purpose, competency-based curriculum restructuring is indispensable. A social safety net for improving the oral health of people with disabilities can be secured by improving the required skills-based education system of dental hygienists and strengthening the related infrastructure.

• Journal of Korean Dental Hygiene Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2020

Introduction: All work of dental hygienists in Korea is to be carried out under the supervision of a dentist, but the main tasks of dental hygienists are systematic and sufficiently trained within the college curriculum. The purpose of this study was to compare the curriculum between the Department of Dental Hygiene and the Department of Dentistry to provide a basis for legal revision of the dental hygienist's unique work. Methods: The curriculum was acquired from the homepage of the Department of Dental Hygiene and Dentistry. The curriculum in 23 of 28 dental hygiene schools and 6 of 11 dental schools was identified on the homepage. The swere classified based on the scope of dental hygienist work. Results: The Department of Dentistry has more than twice the number of credits and subjects compared to the Department of Dental Hygiene, and the top subjects belong to the treatment and rehabilitation of dental diseases. However, in the field of preventive dentistry, which is a unique work of dental hygienists, the Department of Dental Hygiene has a score of 9.3 times higher than that of dentistry. In the public oral health field, the oral health education field, and the dental management field, dental hygienists scored twice as high as dentists. Conclusion: Since dental hygienists are receiving more education than dentists in the areas of preventive dentistry, public oral health, oral health education, and dental management, which are unique tasks, it is suggested that the work can be performed independently without supervision of the dentist.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1656-1666
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• 2021

Dental pathogens lead to chronic diseases like periodontitis, which causes loss of teeth. Here, we examined the plausible antibacterial efficacy of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) synthesized using Cupressus macrocarpa extract (CME) against periodontitis-causing bacteria. The antimicrobial properties of CME-CuNPs were then assessed against oral microbes (M. luteus. B. subtilis, P. aerioginosa) that cause periodontal disease and were identified using morphological/ biochemical analysis, and 16S-rRNA techniques. The CME-CuNPs were characterized, and accordingly, the peak found at 577 nm using UV-Vis spectrometer showed the formation of stable CME-CuNPs. Also, the results revealed the formation of spherical and oblong monodispersed CME-CuNPs with sizes ranged from 11.3 to 22.4 nm. The FTIR analysis suggested that the CME contains reducing agents that consequently had a role in Cu reduction and CME-CuNP formation. Furthermore, the CME-CuNPs exhibited potent antimicrobial efficacy against different isolates which was superior to the reported values in literature. The antibacterial efficacy of CME-CuNPs on oral bacteria was compared to the synergistic solution of clindamycin with CME-CuNPs. The solution exhibited a superior capacity to prevent bacterial growth. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) of CME-CuNPs with clindamycin recorded against the selected periodontal disease-causing microorganisms were observed between the range of 2.6-3.6 ㎍/ml, 4-5 ㎍/ml and 0.312-0.5, respectively. Finally, the synergistic antimicrobial efficacy exhibited by CME-CuNPs with clindamycin against the tested strains could be useful for the future development of more effective treatments to control dental diseases.