Abstract
Objectives : The study is to gain some basic material for the improvement of dental clinics' homepages through a survey investigation, in which college students of three Dental Hygienic departments participated in Kwangju and Cheollanamdo Province. Methods : In the investigation three factors were analyzed : the degree of knowledge on dental clinics' homepages, the degree of recognition on them, and whether they have paid a visit on them or not. A total of 509(96.8%) respondents are valid except 17sheets of responses. Results : 1. When asked about the degrees of knowledge on the formation of the homepages by students' years, the correct rate on Information Service was higher in a row of the second year, the first year, and the third year. And it shows statistically significant difference(p<0.05). In the part of Counseling Service, the rate of correct answers was highest in the second year, and then the first year and the third year. It also shows significant difference(p<0.05). In case of Visual Service, the second year got the highest rate of correct answers, and then the first year and the third year. Here is significant difference by the school years<0.01) 2. It was asked whether they have visited the dental clinics' homepages. The results are like this: 145 sophomores(28.5%) have visited them, and 115 juniors(22.6%) and 85 freshmen(16.7%), and it show significant difference (p<0.001). 3. It was asked how many sites they have visited. Among the freshmen, not a few students visited two sites (34, 9.9%), among sophomores 48 students visited five sites(13.9%), and among juniors the highest answers were two sites (41, 11.9%). It shows signigicant difference(p<0.01). 4. It was asked what is the purpose of the visits. At this 27 freshmen answered for having counseling(7.8%), and 80 sophomores(23.3%) and 43 juniors(12.5%) answered they visited them for the purpose of gaining some materials about their major. It shows significant difference(p<0.001). 5. It was asked with what opportunity they have visited them. They answered through searching activities like this : freshmen (68, 19.8%), sophomores (130, 37.9%), and juniors (98, 28.6%). It shows significant difference(p<0.05). 6. In regard with the recognition of the homepages, all the participants said that the management of the homepages are closely related with the images of the clinics($3.96{\pm}0.781$). But it is found that they do not think that the effective management of dental clinics' homepages is the task of dental hygienic workers as a part of dental hygienic($3.12{\pm}0.971$). 7. There is some difference concerned with the homepages among each group of students; sophomores have highest recognition on them and then juniors and freshmen, and it shows significant difference(p<0.01). In addition, those who have visited them show higher recognition than those who have never visited them(p<0.001). Conclusions : There are some differences among each group of students in regard with the formation service, the purpose of visiting them and such experiences, and the opportunities. Whereases they think that the management of the homepages are closely related with the images of the clinics, they do not think that the effective management of dental clinics' homepages is the task of dental hygienic workers as a part of dental hygienic. Therefore it is necessary to study actively for the qualitative improvement of the dental clinics' homepages, which will result in the higher recognition on the homepages by the dental hygienic students and the workers.