Abstract
The present study conducted a survey on the correlation between job satisfaction of dental hygienists and their workplace satisfaction and quality of life. A total of 249 surveys eligible among all the collected surveys were used in the analysis. The survey consisted of 61 items; 35 items were about self-evaluations of their satisfaction with their tasks, occupation, and workplace, as well as the degree of self-affirmation and their family-related satisfaction; the rests were 26 WHOQOL-BREF items investigating the quality of life. Collected data were processed using the SPSS Ver. 10.0 calculating the reliability with the frequency, percentage, and Cronbach's ${\alpha}$. Besides, one-way ANOVA and linear regression analysis examined the correlation between the variables. The conclusion is as follows: 1. By Age: Job satisfaction and family-related satisfaction were highest in the subjects aged 30 or older($3.5377{\pm}0.6891$ at pF0.05 and $4.1789{\pm}0.5431$ at pF0.05, respectively), though the differences were not statistically significant). Workplace satisfaction and self-affirmation were also highest in those aged 30 or order($3.5753{\pm}0.4210$ at pE0.05 and $3.9695{\pm}0.4616$ at pE0.05, respectively). The differences were statistically significant. Quality of life was also highest in those aged 30 or older($3.4095{\pm}0.3529$, pF0.05). 2. By Types of Dental Institutions: Job satisfaction and workplace satisfaction were highest in the subjects who worked at the dental department in a general hospital($3.7431{\pm}0.5940$ at pF0.05 and $3.6615{\pm}0.4602$ at pF0.05. respectively), though without statistical significance. Self-affirmation was highest in those working in university hospitals($3.773{\pm}0.7151$, pF0.05), while family-related satisfaction was highest, though without statistical significance, in those working at the dental department in general hospitals($4.2500{\pm}0.5528$, pF0.05), who also showed highest quality of life with statistical significance($3.4046{\pm}0.4155$, pE0.05). 3. By Years at Work: The subjects who had worked as a dental hygienist for 12 years or more showed highest satisfaction or scores in all the variables investigated: job satisfaction($3.9326{\pm}0.6673$, pE0.05): workplace satisfaction($3.8316{\pm}0.4342$, pE0.05): self-affirmation($4.2000{\pm}0.4551$, pE0.05); family-related satisfaction($4.3778{\pm}0.4692$, pF0.5): and quality of life($3.5235{\pm}0.4323$, pF0.05). All but quality of life showed a difference with statistical significance. 4. Correlation between Quality of Life and Overall Job Satisfaction: Quality of life doesn't have a correlation with the subjects' satisfaction with their occupation or with their self-affirmation, while it does have a correlation with workplace satisfaction and family-related satisfaction(F=15.983, Sig=0.000, $R^2$=0.209). Besides, workplace satisfaction has a significant correlation with all the variables: job satisfaction, self-affirmation, family-related satisfaction, and quality of life(F=38.563, Sig=0.000, $R^2$=0.389). The above result shows that workplace satisfaction has a high correlation with job satisfaction, self-affirmation, family-related satisfaction and with quality of life. Consequently, to enhance satisfaction of dental hygienists with their workplace, it would be important to promote their autonomy and make desirable wokplace environments so that they can work efficiently with pride for their job.