Study on Current Curriculum Analysis of Clinical Dental Hygiene for Dental Hygiene Students in Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide basic data to standardize the clinical dental hygiene curriculum, based on analysis of current clinical dental hygiene curricula in Korea. We emailed questionnaires to 12 schools to investigate clinical dental hygiene curricula, from February to March, 2017. We analyzed the clinical dental hygiene curricula in 5 schools with a 3-year program and in 7 schools with a 4-year program. The questionnaire comprised nine items on topics relating to clinical dental hygiene, and four items relating to the dental hygiene process and oral prophylaxis. The questionnaire included details regarding the subject name, the grade/semester/credit system, course content and class hours, the number of senior professors, and the number of patients available for dental hygiene clinical training purposes. In total, there were 96 topics listed in the curricula relating to clinical dental hygiene training, and topics varied between the schools. There was an average of 20.4 topic credits, and more credits and hours were allocated to the 4-year program than to the 3-year program. On average, the ratio of students to professors was 21.4:1. Course content included infection control, concepts for dental hygiene processes, dental hygiene assessment, intervention and evaluation, case studies, and periodontal instrumentation. An average of 2 hours per patient was spent on dental hygiene practice, with an average of 1.9 visits. On average, student clinical training involved 19 patients and 26.6 patients in the 3-year and 4-year programs, respectively. The average participation time per student per topic was 38.0 hours and 53.1 hours, in the 3-year and 4-year programs, respectively. Standardizing the clinical dental hygiene curricula in Korea will require consensus guidelines on topics, the number of classes required to achieve core competencies as a dental hygienist, and theory and practice time.

Analysis of Needs for Clinical Dental Hygienist’s Performances Using Borich Needs Assessment and the Locus for Focus Model

“…Mostly, dental hygienists perform scaling using an ultrasonic scaler rather than that for a hand-held instrument. Scaling is the main performance of dental hygienists 23) . Scaling has been extended to insurance items since July 2013, patients who are over 19 years old have been provided benefits once a year 24) , and the number of scaling patients has also increased 25) .…”

“…Scaling has been extended to insurance items since July 2013, patients who are over 19 years old have been provided benefits once a year 24) , and the number of scaling patients has also increased 25) . The Department of Dental Hygiene devotes consi-derable educational time to practicing periodontal instrumentation classes and simulation evaluation classes in preparation for practical testing in the National Dental Hygienist Examination 23) . It is necessary to present a dental hygiene curriculum that reflects the reality of the clinical field, which is highly dependent on ultrasonic scaling.…”

Learning outcomes of a mobile application for dental infection control education

“…Dental healthcare personnel (DHCP) working in dental institutions are considered medical workers with a high probability of being infected with COVID‐19 since they perform procedures that generate aerosols 8 . Accordingly, in educational institutions that train DHCP, infection control is a major educational topic 9 …”

“…8 Accordingly, in educational institutions that train DHCP, infection control is a major educational topic. 9 As cases of infections continued to spread worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. 10 Since then, the importance of standard precautions as a strategy to prevent the infection of DHCP in dental institutions has been emphasized.…”

Dental Hygienist-Led Dental Hygiene Process of Care for Self‐Support Program Participants in Gangneung

“…영국에서는 세계보건기구에 서 제안하는 일차의료체계를 실현하기 위해 진료실에서 환 자중심 의료모형(patient-centered care model)이 적용될 수 있도록 하기 위한 의료체계 개혁을 추진하고 있다 7) . 일차치 과의료체계에서 강조하는 환자중심의 예방관리는 우리나 라 치과위생사의 법적 업무로 정의되고 있고 8) , 한국의 일차 치과의료체계 구축 및 실현을 위해 치과위생사의 역할과 치 위생 과정 표준화가 요구되며 치위생학 교육에서도 치위생 과정을 중심으로 임상치위생학의 교육이 이루어지고 있다 9) .…”