Dental Hygienists’ Practice in Perioperative Oral Care Management According to the Japanese Dental Hygienists Survey 2019

Abstract

Perioperative oral care management is effective in the prevention of postoperative complications, and dental hygienists play an important role. The aim of this study was to elucidate the practice and substantial role of dental hygienists in perioperative oral care management. The Japan Dental Hygienists Association conducted a survey of the employment status of Japanese dental hygienists in 2019. Questionnaires were distributed to all 16,722 members, and 8932 were returned (collection rate: 53.4%). A total of 3560 dental hygienists were working at dental clinics and 1450 (38.2%) were performing perioperative oral care management. More than 90% of them implemented conventional oral care practice. Less than half of the dental hygienists implemented treatment concerning oral functions. Only 9.9% of dental hygienists recognized shortened hospital stay as an effect of perioperative oral care management. Dental hygienists who implemented both nutritional instruction and training of swallowing function or mouth rinsing instructions recognized the shortened hospital stay effect. Overall implementation of perioperative oral care management led to shortened hospital stay. Implementation of perioperative oral care management required knowledge and skills related to systemic health conditions. A stepwise educational program is necessary for perioperative oral care management to become commonplace for dental hygienists.

Daily Tasks and Willingness to Work of Dental Hygienists in Nursing Facilities Using Japanese Dental Hygienists’ Survey 2019

“…Descriptive statistics for the daily tasks were analysed. We constructed a threeparameter logistic model using item response theory (IRT) analysis to calculate item discrimination, item difficulties, and item guesses in relation to daily tasks [18][19][20][21][22]. The item response and information curves regarding each dental hygienist's tasks were illustrated graphically.…”

“…To visualise the relationships, the results were graphically illustrated as biplots [23,24]. The survey items were determined from previous survey results [19][20][21]. Dichotomous items do not gather in-depth information similar to that acquired using a Likert-type scale.…”

“…Dichotomous items do not gather in-depth information similar to that acquired using a Likert-type scale. However, using item response analysis, results obtained with dichotomous variables are simple to interpret [19]; therefore, we decided to use dichotomous variables in this study. Detailed and meticulous information, rather than a simple descriptive analysis of frequency, can be obtained using IRT, which is a valuable tool that has been frequently applied in earlier studies [19][20][21].…”

“…Since 1981, the Japanese Dental Hygienists' Association has conducted surveys on the employment status of dental hygienists in Japan every five years [18][19][20][21][22]. Our study population was limited to members of the Japan Dental Hygienists' Association.…”

“…The questionnaire used in this study, originally designed by the Japanese Dental Hygienists' Association and by the authors, consisted of 101 items, including demographic factors, employment status, and the nature and value of the work [18][19][20][21][22].…”