Problems to Solve and Job Enlargement on the Inclusion of Dental Hygienists in the Category of Medical Personnel

Abstract

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.

Clinical Dental Hygienists’ Awareness of the Medical Technicians Act and Clinical Performance in Korea

“…Studies on recognizing dental hygienists as medical personnel have been conducted; the Korean Dental Hygienists Association is currently supporting the work of dental hygienists [13][14][15] . Our results revealed the near-unanimous (95.88%) approval among dental hygienists to be recognized as medical personnel in a future revision of the MTA.…”

Possibility of a Standardized System for Task-Related Hierarchal Positions of Dental Hygienists

“…Traditionally, their main tasks involve providing clinical treatment for prevention of oral disease, oral health instructions, and dental assistance. More 156 recently, non-clinical roles, such as participation in the overall management as well as supervision and quality control of the dental care being provided in the facility have been emphasized along with the traditional role 6) . As the number and roles of dental hygienists are increasing 7) , dental institutions need to have a systematic organizational structure to enable them to perform their duties adequately and to fulfill the role of providing high-quality dental services 8) .…”