2024, Vol.24, No.6

Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.8

pISSN : 2287-1705 / eISSN : 2288-2294
https://journal.kci.go.kr/jksdh

Objectives: In this study, we sought to develop and evaluate a mobile application for use with intra-oral photography and to assess its educational potential among dental hygiene students. Methods: The study included 29 dental hygiene students. Participants’ skills and self-efficacy were evaluated before and after using the application for intra-oral photography. Statistical analyses, including paired t-test and Friedman test, were performed to assess performance and self-efficacy changes. Results: Use of the application significantly improved the students’ photography skills (p<0.05), with the largest improvements found in the mandibular occlusal view (25.7%), right buccal view (14.7%), and left buccal view (14.6%). Self-efficacy also increased significantly (p<0.001), particularly in terms of the ability to perform accurate clinical intra-oral photography. User satisfaction was high, particularly regarding photo storage and management (4.88±0.21) and tutorials available (4.86±0.44). Conclusions: The mobile application developed here enhanced students’ intra-oral photography skills and self-efficacy. This application has good potential as a self-directed learning tool for dental hygiene education, helping students to improve their clinical proficiency.

Objectives: This study aims to provide essential data for developing dental health insurance policies by identifying changes in the rate of unmet dental care needs among older adults aged 65 to 70 years before and after implementing the policies. Methods: We used the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES) from 2007 to 2022. We performed an interrupted time series analysis, with consideration of the intervention point (set in 2016), by dividing the participants into an experimental (urban older adults) and a control group (rural older adults). Results: The unmet dental care needs rate was 31.2% for urban and 34.3% for rural older adults. After the policy implementation, the trend of unmet dental care needs among urban older adults showed a decreasing tendency (-0.3%; 95% CI: -0.73 to 0.15, p=0.186), while it showed an increasing trend in rural areas (0.3%; 95% CI: -0.73 to 1.23, p=0.603). The difference in trends between the two groups after the policy implementation was -0.5% (95% CI: -1.62 to 0.54, p=0.308). Conclusions: Due to the lack of statistical significance, it is possible that external factors other than policy implementation influenced the results. Therefore, there is a need to continuously assess the impact of dental policies on unmet dental care needs.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the impact of health-related quality of life and oral health on depression in seniors aged 65 and older, proposing measures to improve their quality of life and prevent depression. Methods: Data from the 2022 Community Health Survey, conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, were analyzed, focusing on 79,441 seniors. Results: Of the participants, 57.2% were female, and 42.8% were male. Poor oral health was associated with worse general health perception. Depression was linked to stress, suicidal thoughts, chewing discomfort, and cognitive impairment, while happiness and positive health perceptions were protective factors. Conclusions: Managing stress and enhancing positive health perceptions are key to reducing depression among the elderly.