Job satisfaction level of dental staff at oral health centers for people with special needs

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the job satisfaction level of the dental staff working at oral health centers for people with disabilities. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted with 73 dentists and dental hygienists working at seven regional oral health centers for people with special needs and dental hospitals for people with disabilities in Seoul. The questionnaire consisted of seven questions across two subscales: general satisfaction (4 questions) and satisfaction with wage and welfare (3 questions). The internal consistency of the questionnaire items was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (0.80). The responses were analyzed using a t-test with SPSS (version 23.0). Results: Of the 73 dental staff members, 50% were dentists, 64% were women, and participants' average age was 30 years. In total, 58% of the participants had up to five years of experience working with people with disabilities, 42% of them worked full-time, and each participant treated an average of 200 patients with disabilities per month. The participants reported that their salary was relatively low. Dental hygienists had higher satisfaction level than dentists in the institution's welfare work. The more full-time workers answered, the more suitable they are for their work. Conclusions: The job satisfaction level of most professionals working in oral health centers for people with disabilities was not very high but they felt rewarded by their welfare work. It was inferred that it is necessary to examine and improve institutional support aspects such as human resource support. Increasing the number of centers in the central region is also needed.

Competencies of Dental Hygienists for Oral Care Service for People with Disability

“…In dental treatment for the disabled, dentists are required to play a specialized role in treatment, and dental hygienists are required to play roles in education and prevention for incremental dental care 14) . For this purpose, there is a need for the establishment of a specialized curriculum and specialized human resources, and the current situation is that there is a large shortage of specialized curriculum and dental staff 15) .…”

Dental Care Service Satisfaction by the Characteristics of Users at a Dental Center for the Disabled in a Region

“…While the dental center program for the disabled has increased in quantity, no research has been conducted on the utilization status and the facility environment in terms of the centers. Relevant studies include Chang [7] and Cho et al [8] on the status of dental treatment for the disabled and their satisfaction and Park et al [9] on status of job satisfaction in dental care specialists at dental centers for the disabled; there is little research on the characteristics of satisfaction of users at regional dental centers for the disabled. This study aimed to see the characteristics and satisfaction factors of users at a current dental center for the disabled in Gwangju and present basic data that could provide high-quality healthcare service.…”