A study on the improvement of dental hygiene curriculums in comparison with the curriculum segment of the accrediting criteria for dental hygiene education

치위생교육과정 개선을 위한 연구 -치위생교육 인정평가 기준에서 교육과정을 중심으로-

  • Received : 2008.10.30
  • Accepted : 2008.12.15
  • Published : 2008.12.30

Abstract

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to make a comparative analysis of the curriculum segment of the dental hygiene education accrediting criteria, one of the six segments of the criteria, and the curriculums of 26 colleges in a bid to provide information on the modification or improvement of the curriculums. Method : The curriculums of 18 three-year-course colleges and eight four-year-course universities were selected, and the courses offered by 10 colleges or more were categorized into three different fields to tabulate the courses: primary education, prevention / education, and clinical dental hygiene. After the courses were analyzed, some of them that were possible to integrate in view of dental hygienist duties were presented in this study as inclusive courses. Results : There was connection among the degree courses of the three-year-course curriculums in the field of primary education. The curriculums failed to keep up with the worldwide globalization trend. 90 credits or more were allocated to major subjects, which satisfied one of the mandatory requirements of the accrediting criteria, and two colleges provided theoretical and practical courses in the ratio of 50:50. A wide variety of personality-education and teaching-profession courses were offered according to each college's circumstances. None of the colleges was equipped with an inclusive curriculum, and there was a tendency for the three-year-course colleges to offer segmented subjects in accordance with the national examination. The courses in the field of prevention and education that are bound up with the job performance of dental hygienists should be integrated into dental hygiene and practice, and the courses in the clinical dental hygiene field should be incorporated into an inclusive course of 치과임상학. The integration of the courses will make it possible to ensure the successful articulation of the different school systems and to stay abreast with the globalization trend. Even just inclusive courses should give more weight to practice than theory to bolster the job performance of dental hygienists, and an inclusive curriculum should be prepared for students to receive activity-centered hands-on education in different semesters.

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