KJC Korea
Journal Central

Objectives: This study analyzed a total of 30 domestic research trends related to dental infection control from 2013 to 2022. Methods: Two researchers analyzed the research question, “What are the research trends on infection control in dental hygiene at dental clinics and dental hygiene education institutions?” The selected literature was classified according to the research subject and the purpose of the study. Results: The study sample comprised 63% dental hygienists, 30% dental hygiene students, and 7% dental workers. The research topics on dental infection control were classified into knowledge, awareness, practice, infection control education, clinic environment, and infection control personnel. The largest proportion of research on dental infection control were about awareness and practice of infection control (69%). Clinic environment, knowledge, infection control education, and infection control personnel appeared in order. Conclusions: It is believed that this can be used as a reference material to present the direction of research design for researchers studying in infection control in the field of dental hygiene in the future.

Objectives: This case study was conducted to assess the changes in the oral health status of older individuals with hearing and visual impairments through home oral health care based on community care. Methods: The participants were two older adults with hearing and visual impairments. Through home visits, an oral health intervention program, including oral hygiene care and training on strengthening of oral function, was conducted once a week for 5 months. Dental hygienists performed special oral health interventions such as dental plaque control through individual tooth brushing and interdental care, training on strengthening of intraoral and extraoral muscle function, and denture care for the individuals with visual-hearing impairments. Results: The overall periodontal health status and oral muscle function improved in older adults with hearing and visual impairments. In the case of the visually impaired individuals, changes in the oral health status were oral mucosal moisture (30.1 and 37.2 points before and after intervention, respectively), salivary secretion (3.5 and 4.0 cm before and after intervention, respectively), and maximum tongue pressure (20.5 and 26.2 kPa before and after intervention, respectively). Changes in the oral health status of the hearing impaired individuals increased from 28.3 points before the intervention to 38.4 points after the intervention, and the maximum tongue pressure increased from 1.85 kPa to 23.5 kPa after the intervention. Conclusions: Oral health intervention activities contributed to improving the periodontal health and oral function of older adults with hearing and visual impairments. To improve their overall and oral health, it is necessary to prepare measures to activate customized oral health intervention programs.

Objectives: This study performed a comparative evaluation of the effects of oil pulling on the periodontal health of smokers. Methods: The experimental (15 subjects) and control (15 subjects) were provided coconut oil and distilled water, respectively. We evaluated the pocket depth (≥4 mm), bleeding on exploration, and Patient Hygiene Performance (PHP) index in both groups following the interventions. Clinical parameters were assessed at baseline, after 4 weeks, and after 8 weeks. Dry mouth and oral health-related quality of life were evaluated at baseline and after 8 weeks. Results: Bleeding on exploring in the control group decreased from 26.17 to 18.33 and from 26.07 to 12.53 in the experimental group (p=0.030), with significant differences in measurement time (p<0.001), and the interaction between group and measurement time (p=0.002). The PHP index in the control group decreased from 24.50 to 16.17 and from 24.00 to 9.83 in the experimental group (p=0.027), with significant differences in measurement time (p<0.001), and the interaction between group and measurement time (p=0.001). Furthermore, the experimental group showed a significant decrease in dry mouth (p<0.001) and a significant increase in oral health-related quality of life (p=0.025). Conclusions: The coconut oil intervention positively affected the periodontal health of smokers.

Objectives: Based on the strengths of augmented reality (AR), this study aimed to determine the dental plaque removal efficiency of a guided brushing program in children. Methods: This randomized, controlled, double-blind crossover clinical trial evaluated the plaque removal rate after regular brushing versus AR-based guided toothbrushing in 20 children aged 5-12 years. Results: Overall, the dental plaque removal efficiency of AR-based brushing was superior to that of regular brushing (p <0.05). When classified in detail, no significant difference was noted in the plaque removal rate between the two brushing methods in the anterior region (p=0.056), whereas a significant difference in the plaque removal rate was observed in the posterior region (p<0.05). Conclusions: Based on these results, the efficacy of dental plaque removal for brushing using an AR-based smartphone application was confirmed; thus, this can be used for oral health education incorporating ICT technology in the future.

Objectives: We developed an integrated cognitive function improvement program comprising cognitive, emotional, and physical domains, and remotely applied it to middle-aged adults to investigate its effects on oral health, cognitive function, and mental health improvement. Methods: The experimental group underwent the program remotely, using the Zoom platform. A total of 24 participants were recruited and divided into 12 experimental and 12 control groups. The program comprised cognitive, emotional, and physical activities. The sessions lasted 90 min and were performed twice a week for 6 weeks from April to May 2022. Results: Cognitive function, arousal, physical, and mental stress were significantly improved in the experimental group after the intervention than at the baseline (p <0.05). Regarding oral health, tongue plaque decreased 1.34-fold (p <0.01) and saliva increased 1.04-fold (p <0.05) in the experimental group after the intervention than at the baseline. Moreover, the experimental group showed significant improvements in tongue plaque and saliva than the control group (p <0.05 for tongue plaque and p < 0.01 for saliva). Regarding mental health, social support significantly increased 11.67-fold (p <0.05) in the experimental group than at the baseline. The experimental group also showed significantly improved social support than the control group (p <0.01). Conclusions: The non-face-to-face integrated cognitive function improvement program for middle-aged adults improved their cognitive function and oral and mental health. Based on these findings, this program may be a useful health program tool for middle-aged individuals.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of an assessment tool for dental hygienists’ consideration of patients with mild disabilities. Methods: Thirty-seven preliminary questions were compiled through literature review, and thirty-two questions were selected through content validity testing by eight experts. Two hundred and three dental hygienists completed the assessment tool as an online survey. The construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the tool were investigated using the SPSS 26.0 program. The construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis. The internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) value with 95% confidence intervals was calculated for test-retest reliability. Results: Ten items and four factors were selected through exploratory factor analysis. The internal consistency reliability of the tool was found to be Cronbach’s alpha=0.658, and test-retest reliability was found to be ICC=0.812. Conclusions: An assessment tool of care for patients with mild disabilities by dental hygienists is a reliable and valid tool suitable for the job characteristics of dental hygienists. It can be used in clinical practice and research.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the level of occupational and organizational retention intention and related factors among new dental hygienists. Methods: The participants were 195 dental hygienists employed for less than 24 months. A t-test and one-way analysis of variance were conducted to determine the level of intention to stay according to an individual’s major- related characteristics and work environment awareness level. Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed for each item, and stepwise multiple regression was performed for factors related to retention intention. Results: In the work environment, the organizational support network had the highest occupational retention intention (β=0.513). Organizational retention intention (β=0.351), working infrastructure (β=0.293), cooperation relationship (β=0.165), and management justice (β=0.151) were factors related to organizational retention intention (p <0.001). Employment at the practice hospital was related to occupational (β=0.167) and organizational retention intention (β=0.138), and satisfaction with clinical practice was related to occupational retention intention (β=0.327). Conclusions: New dental hygienists are expected to be actively utilized for long-term tenure in both occupations and organizations by actively reflecting on the results obtained through this study in the curriculum and working environment of dental hygienists.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the oral symptoms experiences of Korean adolescents among multicultural families. Methods: Data on 985 participants from the 16th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey were collected and analyzed using complex sample descriptive statistics. Results: The foreign-born mother, foreign-born parents, and foreign-born father rates were 77.2%, 17.3%, and 5.4%, respectively. The toothache, gingival bleeding, tooth fracture, and tooth sensitivity experience rates were 21.3%, 18.8%, 13.3%, and 30.4%, respectively. The tooth fracture rate was highest in the foreign-born parents group (24.6%). The toothache odds ratio (OR) was 1.71 (95% CI: 1.24–2.37) times higher in girls. The foreign-born mother group was 2.47 (95% CI: 1.09-5.60) times higher than that of the foreign-born father or both parents foreign-born groups. The smoking group was 2.03 (95% CI: 1.20-3.43) times higher than that of the non-smoking group. The gingival bleeding OR was 5.11 (95% CI: 1.80-14.53) times higher in the lowest economic status group. The tooth fracture OR was 3.44 (95% CI: 1.01-11.70) times higher in the lowest economic status group. The tooth sensitivity OR was 1.53 (95% CI: 1.14-2.04) times higher in girls. Conclusions: It is necessary to establish a program to promote oral health of adolescents from multicultural families.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between COVID-19-related depressive symptoms and oral health among Korean adolescents. Methods: Data from the 17th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey were used and analyzed by the chi-squared test, and multiple logistic regression analysis was performed using SPSS 21.0. The final study population comprised 54,835 individuals. Results: The rates of toothache, gingival bleeding, tooth fracture, and tooth sensitivity were 21.2, 19.1, 8.7, and 30.6%, respectively. The rates of equal, increased, and decreased COVID-19-related depressive symptoms were 53.4, 36.9, and 9.7%, respectively. The rates of toothache, gingival bleeding, and tooth sensitivity were significantly higher (49.0, 48.3, and 46.3%, respectively) in the increased depressive symptom group than that in the decreased depressive symptom group (7.7, 8.1, and 7.7%, respectively). After adjusting for gender, school grade, school record, household economic status, tooth brushing frequency, smoking habit, and alcohol consumption, the risks of toothache, gingival bleeding, and tooth sensitivity in the increased depressive symptom group were symptom group were 1.64 (95% CI: 1.51-1.78), 1.55 (95% CI: 1.43-1.68), and 1.77 (95% CI: 1.65-1.89), respectively. Conclusions: There was a significant increase in oral symptoms in the group with increased depressive symptoms.