The potential for improving the occupational health of dental clinicians has expanded as increasingly sophisticated equipment enters the marketplace, yet there has been little improvement to the ergonomics with which dental hygienists operate. The use of surgical magnification has great potential to increase the quality of dental hygiene clinical care and to support the musculoskeletal health of dental hygienists. Although the research evidence to support a relationship between the use of surgical magnification and increased quality of dental hygiene care is extrapolated from parallel studies in dentistry, specific dental hygiene studies suggest that the integration of surgical magnification would be helpful in reducing the incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms experienced by dental hygienists. This is not to suggest that the integration of surgical magnification is a panacea for the musculoskeletal problems experienced by dental hygienists. In fact, improperly selected or adjusted surgical magnification systems can promote positions that place clinicians at increased risk for such problems. Clinicians must first determine the optimal working position that supports their musculoskeletal health and then select magnification systems that will support that position. The working distance, depth of field and optical declination angle of the chosen system must correspond to the musculoskeletal needs of the clinician.
Educational climates have been found to have important influences on learning, but little feedback has been obtained from dental hygiene students. The purpose of the present study was to gain an understanding of the learning climate in Japanese and Canadian dental hygiene programmes for the purpose of making positive changes. A survey instrument with 10 dimensions relating to learning climate was adapted from business and dental models, and designated as the Dental Hygiene Student Learning Climate Survey (DHS-LCS). Higher scores indicated a more positive and supportive learning climate, and lower scores indicated an environment that is potentially less desirable. Students enrolled in a Japanese and a Canadian dental hygiene programme participated in this four-year study from 2005 to 2008. A total of 402 surveys were returned for an average response rate of 62%. The mean total DHS-LCS score of Canadian students was statistically significantly higher than that of Japanese students (p < 0.001) in all years tested, indicating that the Canadian students' perceptions of their learning environment were more favorable than those of the Japanese students. Based on analyses of the DHS-LCS data, interventions to improve learning climates were designed and implemented. There were statistically significant improvements (p < 0.01) in DHS-LCS scores of Japanese and Canadian students over the years of the study, suggesting that that student-centered interventions improved the perceived learning environment. The instrument appears to be helpful in identifying student concerns and can be used to implement interventions to help support a healthier learning climate.
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