A study on the oral-health belief and oral-health care of company employees

직장인들의 구강건강신념과 구강건강관리 행태에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study was to provide information on the development of an oral-health promotion program geared toward office workers. The subjects in this study were 240 employees at the headquarters of S construction company. After a survey was conducted in July and August 2008, the answer sheets from 208 respondents were gathered, and 191 answer sheets were analyzed except 17 unanalyzable ones. The findings of the study were as follows: 1. In regard to subjective oral health status, the largest number of the participants that accounted for 37.2% found their mouth to be neither healthy nor unhealthy. The greatest number of them that represented 58.1% had never visited a dentist's office to receive preventive treatment. 2. Regarding relationship between toothbrushing education experience and toothbrushing frequency, the most common toothbrushing frequency was three times a day( 46.5%) among the company employees who had ever received that education. In the event of the office workers without that experience, the most prevalent frequency was three times(63.6%). The toothbrushing frequency was statistically significantly different according to the toothbrushing education experience(p<0.05). As to the relationship of toothbrushing education experience to tooth- brushing method, the largest number(48.2%) of those who had ever received that education brushed their upper and lower teeth along with the gums by rotating the toothbrush downward from the top and upward from the bottom respectively. In the event of the office workers without that experience, 49.4 percent brushed their teeth and gums by rotating the toothbrush up and down. Thus, whether they had ever received education about toothbrushing made a statistically significant difference to their toothbrushing method(p<0.05). 3. As a result of evaluating their oral health belief by utilizing a five-point scale, they got a mean of 2.95. In each area of oral health belief, they got the best marks in benefit(3.66), salience(3.42), barrier(2.84), susceptility(2.58) and seriousness(2.23). Given the above-mentioned finding of the study, two sorts of oral health beliefs, which are benefit and salience, should be stressed in the development of oral health education programs that cater to company employees. And sustained research efforts should be channeled into finding out the relationship between oral health and actual oral health care.