[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between psychosocial stress, occupational stress, and musculoskeletal symptoms in Korean dental practitioners. [Subjects and Methods] Self-reported questionnaires were distributed to 401 dental practitioners in Korea. To assess the risk factors related to musculoskeletal disorders, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, the Korean Occupational Stress Scale, and Psychosocial Well-Being Index Short Form were used. General and work-related characteristics of the subjects consisted of seven items, including age, career, height, weight, working days/week, working hours/day, and physical strain levels. [Results] In this study, 86.8% of the practitioners experienced musculoskeletal symptoms (shoulders, 72.8%; neck, 69.3%; waist, 68.3%; wrist, 58.4%; back, 44.1%; ankle, 38.7%; knee, 36.9%; hip, 20.4%; and elbows, 9.2%). Moreover, psychosocial and occupational stress can affect the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders. In particular, we found that psychosocial stress has significant influence on the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders. [Conclusion] To increase the quality of life and provide high-quality medical service for dental practitioners, risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders must be managed. Accordingly, dental practitioners must maintain good posture, get an appropriate amount of rest, and perform regular stretching exercise to reduce psychological stress and improve the work environment.

Work-related musculoskeletal symptom disorders (WMSDs) have a significant issue for dental professionals. This study investigated the effects of high-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on work-related pain, fatigue, and the active range of motion in dental professionals. Among recruited 47 dental professionals with WMSDs, 24 subjects received high-frequency TENS (the TENS group), while 23 subjects received placebo stimulation (the placebo group). TENS was applied to the muscle trigger points of the levator scapulae and upper trapezius, while placebo-TENS was administered without electrical stimulation during 60 min. Pain and fatigue at rest and during movement were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS), pain pressure threshold (PPT), and active range of motion (AROM) of horizontal head rotation at six time points: prelabor, postlabor, post-TENS, and at 1 h, 3 h, and 1 day after TENS application. Both groups showed significantly increased pain and fatigue and decreased PPT and AROM after completing a work task. The TENS group showed significantly greater improvements in VAS score, fatigue, PPT, and AROM at post-TENS and at 1 h and 3 h after application (all P < 0.05) as compared to the placebo group. A single session high-frequency TENS may immediately reduce symptoms related to WMSDs in dental professionals.

Objectives : The aim of this study was to analyze self-perceived oral malodor symptoms and associated factors among adults in metropolitan area.Methods : This research was based on self-perceived oral malodor symptoms survey in 413 adults from March 5 to May 7, 2012. Data were analyzed with chi-square test, and stepwise multiple regression analysis using SPSS WIN 12.0 program and significance level was set at p<0.05.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions, precedent tasks, positive and negative effects, and expandable professional tasks regarding the inclusion of dental hygienists (DHs) in the category of medical personnel. This study involved a survey of 259 DHs and 128 dentists. The findings were as follows: 94.2% of DHs and 46.9% of dentists were aware of inclusion in the category of medical personnel; 95.0% of DHs and 64.1% of dentists supported the idea; and 84.9% of DHs and 51.6% of dentists recognized its legitimacy. As for precedent tasks for inclusion in the category of medical personnel, both DHs and dentists scored high points in professional consciousness in the area of occupation. Both DHs and dentists scored the highest points in the quality management of DH education and the lowest points in the unification of school systems in the area of institution. In the area of society, DHs scored high points in the persuasion of the central government, whereas dentists scored high points in collaboration among concerned organizations. Regarding the positive effects of inclusion in the category of medical personnel, both DHs and dentists scored the highest points in the expanded perception of DHs. As for its negative effects, DHs scored high points in the aggravation of salary increase, whereas dentists scored high points in the aggravation of salary increase. Regarding expandable professional tasks after the inclusion of DHs in the category of medical personnel, the management of independent periodontal care programs recorded the highest percentage both in DHs and dentists. These findings highlight the need for adequate discussions about the meanings of the inclusion of DHs in the category of medical personnel and will hopefully contribute to the rational adjustment and legalization of DHs' works with regard to their inclusion in the category of medical personnel.

This study was aimed to analyze factors affecting intention on clinical application by task autonomy of dental hygienists, expected effect and obstructive factor on clinical application of assessment, dental hygiene diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation (ADPIE). Meanwhile, it proved mediating effects of "attitude toward ADPIE" when it came to "intention on clinical application". The data was collected from 237 dental personnel in capital region from March 28, 2014 to May 2, 2014. To analyze the suitability of a theoretical model and hypothesis testing, SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 18.0 program were used. The theoretical model was accepted as it resulted in  2 =421.67 while showing goodness of fit index=0.858, comparative fit index=0.915, Tucker-Lewis index=0.896, root mean square residual=0.039, and root mean square error of approximation=0.099. The result showed "task autonomy of dental hygienists (=0.398, p＜0.05)" and "expected effect on ADPIE (=0.363, p＜0.01)" had a positive effect on "attitude toward ADPIE". Also, "attitude toward ADPIE" had a positive effect on "intention on clinical application". In addition, "task autonomy of dental hygienists" and "expected effect on ADPIE" had an indirect influence on "intention on clinical application" via such intermediary as "attitude toward ADPIE". According to the above results, the task autonomy of dental hygienists, expected effect on ADPIE, and attitude toward ADPIE were confirmed to be significant factors when it came to the intention on its clinical application. Therefore in order to settle ADPIE in the clinical practice, improvement of task autonomy for dental hygienists as well as their expectation and attitude on ADPIE must be promoted.

This study intended to search for measures to effectively improve and manage the job performance and personality of dental hygienists. In this study, the effects on job performance of the following variables were analyzed: emotional leadership, commitment, and patient-orientation. The subjects of the study were 328 dental hygienists who were working in a dental clinic and the assessment was made based on a self-administered questionnaire. T-test, one-way ANOVA, and Stepwise multiple regression were performed for analysis. The average of emotional leadership was 3.48 points, and commitment was 3.30 points. Also, the average of patient-orientation was 3.95 points and that of job performance was 3.39 points. Emotional leadership and commitment, as well as patient-orientation and job performance, showed positive correlation (p＜0.001). The factor with the highest correlation with job performance was patient-orientation (=0.306), followed by the following: relationship management (=0.209); age (=0.162); self-awareness (=0.139); social-awareness (=0.123); and clinic type (=0.101). Based from the results of the study, there is a need to recognize the relationship among emotional leadership, commitment, and patient-orientation in connection with job performance.

Aims A potential association between the periodontal disease and cognitive impairment has been suggested, but the results are not yet conclusive. This study investigated the association between the two diseases. Methods and results This study included 140 individuals (M: 48, F: 92, average age: 77.2). For assessing cognitive ability, MMSE‐KC was used. The BGI index categorizes the periodontal disease based on important clinical parameters. In model 1 using the BGI index and the number of residual teeth as independent variables, the cognitive function status was significantly lower in the DL/MB group (β = ‐0.294), DL/LB group (β = ‐0.237). In Model 2 including systemic disease was the DL/MB group (β = ‐0.316) and in Model 3 which also added demographic characteristics, the DL/MB group (β = ‐0.229) was identified as a related factor (p < .05). Conclusion It can be concluded that periodontal disease is strongly associated with cognitive ability.

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