Objectives: Dental hygienist’s work satisfaction and stress affect the overall quality of work life(QWL). Therefore, this research is intended to suggest fundamental data to improve QWL by finding out characteristics of each work satisfaction and stress element. To this end, a total of 327 dental hygienists working at general hospitals, university hospitals, dental hospitals and dental clinics across Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon were surveyed. Results of survey are as follows.
Methods: The collected data were analyzed by using an SPSS 12.0 statistical program, obtaining the following results. The collected data conducted a questionnaire survey for 327 dental hygienists who work at the hospitals, university hospitals, dental hospitals, and dental clinics located at Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Incheon district from January until March, 2009, and drew the conclusions as follows.
Result:1. Demographic characteristics, income from 1.5 to 1.99 million were the whole lot, more than 2 million to less than 1.5 million was similar. Marital status Married Unmarried higher than the atheist religion, Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, and other, respectively. Classification by level of education in the college graduate, university graduate, graduate diploma, respectively.
2. Are working in a job-related characteristics of dentistry, dental hospital, general and university hospital, respectively. The making in position, Mount, contractor, responsible, senior, was an intern in the order. The five-day workweek whether working at night and is not going to care whether the conduct was similar. Classification of working hours and 8 hours, 8 hours, 8 hours or less orderly, and total of less than 1-3 years of clinical experience, 5 years, less than one year, less than 3-5 years, respectively.
3. There comes out a significant difference according to age, income, position, gross clinical experience, and whether to put night shift into practice in job stability in terms of the quality subsequent to general characteristics(p<.05).
4. There comes out a significant difference according to marital status, one's place of work, position, whether to put a five-day workweek into practice in work environment and benefits package in terms of the quality subsequent to general characteristics (p<.05).
5. There comes out a significant difference according to age, marital status, income, position, and gross clinical experience in education & training and benefits packages in terms of the quality subsequent to general characteristics(p<.05).
6. There comes out a significant difference according to whether to put night medical treatment into practice in social usefulness in terms of the quality subsequent to general characteristics(p<.05).
7. There comes out a significant difference according to marital status, income, one's place of work, gross clinical experience, work hours, and whether to put a five-day workweek into practice in leisure activity in terms of the quality subsequent to general characteristics(p<.05).
8. There comes out a significant difference according to income, one's place of work, and position in wage level in terms of the quality subsequent to general characteristics(p<.05).
9. There was no significant difference in all items related to human relations and free communication in terms of the quality subsequent to general characteristics(p>.05).
Conclusions: It is necessary to analyze factors related to work satisfaction and stress in order to improve dental hygienist’s quality of work life. Hospitals must support them systematically and institutionally and related organizations must conduct practical research.