Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects that appeared to parents after conducting a dental caries management program for 12 months using a mobile application for systematic caries management of children. Methods: Parents responded to a questionnaire on oral care self-efficacy and oral health knowledge at the baseline, and received feedback on a management program suitable for their child's caries risk group for 12 months through a mobile application. At the end of 12 months, the questionnaire was re-written. Results: The self-efficacy of oral care increased in the low risk group, and oral care knowledge and program satisfaction were highest in the parents of low risk children. Conclusions: Base on the results of the this study, It was confirmed that parents' self-efficacy, knowledge, performance and satisfaction were all positively evaluated through the oral care program using a mobile application.

Objectives: This study seeks to identify the positive psychological capital, burnout, and compassion satisfaction levels of clinical dental hygienists to understand the factors affecting positive psychological capital and to establish measures to improve the positive psychological capital, and to utilize them. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 190 dental hygienists of the clinic from February 1 to April 30, 2020. Statistical analyses were conducted with the help of independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: Dental hygienists scored 3.47 points in positive psychological capital. The variables that influenced positive psychological capital were burnout and compassion satisfaction. The variables influencing positive psychological capital were monthly income_dummy2 (200-249/≥250), burnout, and compassion satisfaction. Conclusions: The positive psychological capital of clinical dental hygienists was found to be related to burnout and compassion satisfaction; additionally, compassion satisfaction had the greatest influence. Therefore, it will reduce burnout, improve compassion satisfaction, positive psychological capital, and contribute to efficient human resource management.

Objectives: This qualitative research was conducted to understand the experiences of dental hygienists with respect to emotional labor and stress through in-depth interviews, and analyze experiences that are difficult to grasp in quantitative studies. Methods: From October 7 to October 14 2020, a total of seven study participants were selected and underwent in-depth interviews. A phenomenological research methodology was applied for intensive analysis. Results: The results of the interviews were grouped into five central-categories: relationships in the workplace (trouble with the staff, discrimination against staff, relationship between subordinates and superiors), relationships with non-major (trouble with laboratory staff, inferiority complex and behavior of non-specialists), emotional labor for the patient (patient-centered, patient selfishness, exquisite guardian), conduction of business (passing the work, deterioration in health due to emotional labor), organizing emotions (patience and a sense of collapse, conversation with a coworker). Conclusions: Based on this study, we need to develop tools to measure dental hygienists' emotional labor and stress as well as conduct follow-up research on ways to improve them.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic factors and the unmet dental care needs of the living alone and living with family elderly groups to confirm the differences in their influence. Methods: Data from the Korea Health Panel Study of 2016 were used to analyze a total of 4,987 individuals: 4,008 in living with family group and 979 in living alone group . Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS Version 22 (p<0.05). Results: We observed that 16.5% and 28.3% of the participants from the living with family and living alone groups had unmet dental care needs, respectively, indicating that the living alone group had more unmet dental care needs. Income level, residential area, and healthcare security were significant factors related to the living with family group. In contrast, medical aid for healthcare security was a significant factor related to the living alone group (p<0.05). Conclusions: The results confirmed that socioeconomic factors that affect unmet dental care vary according to the living situation. Therefore, the government should identify the number of elderly individuals living alone, which is increasing annually. These individuals are vulnerable in almost all aspects, and the government should establish and implement appropriate oral healthcare policies to support them.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the relationship between dental care needs and dental service use in Korean elderly. Methods: Using the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, from 22,948 individuals, 1,572 (male 701, female 871) elderly individuals aged above 65 years were included in the study. All analyses were stratified by sex. Results: In males, the group with subjective needs was 3.74 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.58-5.41) times more likely to use dental services than the group without subjective needs. For females, the group with subjective needs was 2.17 (95% CI: 1.57-2.98 ) times more likely to use dental services than the group without subjective needs. Conclusions: To conclude, the elderly with symptoms, used the dental services for pain relief and functional recovery. Fundamental efforts to improve oral health are needed, such as providing treatment, prevention and educational services, besides efforts to provide treatment-oriented dental services. Further research is needed for the middle and elderly individuals who are in the blind spot of the existing policy.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the oral health status and oral health behavior and identify the factors related to the oral health status by age-specific groups in vulnerable elderly individuals. Methods: We used data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The differences in the oral health status and oral health behavior by age-specific groups were analyzed using complex sample chi-square tests and a generalized linear model. The relationship between the oral health status and oral health behavior by age-specific groups was analyzed using a complex samples general linear model. Results: The DMFT index of the young-old elderly was 10.65±0.60, and that of the old-old elderly was 12.78±0.72, which was higher. The condition of the mandibular prosthesis was more common in the old-old elderly, and there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). The DMFT index in the old-old elderly was found to be higher as the average number of brushings per day decreased, and no oral examination was performed. Conclusions: The vulnerable elderly themselves are interested in maintaining their own health, and the government needs to undertake efforts to reduce the medical blind spots by supporting institutional and environmental conditions so that health care services can be provided to the vulnerable elderly.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the association between the use of dentures by the elderly and the prevalence of depression by using the original data from the 2017 Community Health Survey as basic data for the promotion of oral health and oral health policy development in the elderly. Methods: The study subjects were 67,835 elderly over 65 years of age. The raw data were collected from 2017 Community Health Survey in Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Results: Among the demographic and sociological characteristics, the higher the age, the lower the educational level, the worse the subjective health level, and the higher the denture use. The higher the age, the lower the education level, the lower the income level, the worse the subjective health level, the more stress they have, the more sleep time, and the higher the prevalence of depression. The association between the use of dentures and the prevalence of depression was 1.071 times higher than that of not using dentures, and it was found that the prevalence of depression was affected. Conclusions: As a result, it was confirmed that the use of dentures influenced the prevalence of depression. Institutional support will be needed to establish a national-level prevention policy that can maintain and promote healthy oral conditions and prevent the need dentures in the elderly.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of periodontal disease in menopausal women. Methods: We used data from the 7th (2016-2018) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The subjects of the study were 2,643 women aged 40 to 59 years who participated in the periodontal examination and answered a menses questionnaire. The data were analyzed using complex samples multivariate logistic regression to investigate the effects related to periodontal disease in menopausal women. Results: After adjusting for general characteristics, oral health behaviors, and health status, those aged 50-59 years had odds ratio (OR) for periodontal disease of 2.52 compared to those aged 40-49 years. Compared to those who brushed 3 or more times a day, those with less than 3 brushings a day had OR of 1.48. Those who smoked had a 3.00 higher risk of periodontal disease than those who were non-smokers. Further, those with glycosuria had a 2.26 higher risk of periodontal disease than those without glycosuria. Conclusions: In order to promote the oral health of menopausal women, it is suggested that comprehensive and systematic oral health education should be implemented considering various variables.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the current status and educational contents of the geriatric-related curriculum in dental hygiene departments at colleges across the country. Methods: To analyze the current status of geriatric curriculum, it was investigated by searching the websites of colleges across the country where dental hygiene (curriculum) department was available. Furthermore, a literature review of domestic and foreign textbooks related to geriatric dental hygiene was conducted to analyze the contents of geriatric dental hygiene curriculum. Results: Among colleges that offer dental hygiene (curriculum) department, 8 four-year and 12 three-year colleges (24.4%) offered geriatric dental hygiene courses. A comparison of the contents of the textbooks titled “Geriatric dental hygiene” published by Goonja, Daehan Narae, and Komoonsa showed that basic contents such as the characteristics, health problems, and oral health problems of elderly -people were described in the same context. However, there was a difference in the volume and importance of the concerned contents also. Conclusions: Universities and related organizations which offer dental hygiene curriculum should continue to conduct studies for the development of geriatric hygiene curricula. Moreover, heightened efforts are needed to ensure that geriatric dental hygiene education is more systematically offered.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the infection control system and actual conditions according to the type of dental medical institution. Methods: From April 1st to May 10th, 2020, dental institutions were recruited through stratified random sampling. Each item constituting the infection control system by dental institution type was analyzed using the chi-square test and fisher's exact test. Results: The infection control system and operation level of each dental institution type was 89.0 points for university-general hospitals, 75.6 points for dental hospitals, and 34.4 points for dental clinics. The environment management levels were 76.1, 72.5, 73.0, and 74.0 points for university-general hospitals, similar to 77.2, 75.1, 71.0, and 73.8 points for dental hospitals, while dental clinics had 61.1, 40.0, 37.0, and 45.6 points. Prevention and management of staff infection exposure, wearing personal protective equipment, and hand hygiene levels were 90.7, 75.5, 88.5 points for university-general hospitals, 79.8, 79.5, 80.4 points for dental hospitals, and 50.2, 88.0, 61.5 points for dental clinics, respectively. Conclusions: Efforts are required to bring about improvement in the areas of insufficient infection control in order to raise the overall infection control levels, especially the management of dental clinics is urgently needed.