Abstract
Objectives : The purpose of this study was to improve the practice level on dental hygienists'infection prevention by examining the actual condition of dental hygienists'infection control and analyzing factors of having influence upon this. Methods : A questionnaire survey was carried out from July 18, 2011 to August 26 targeting dental hygienists who work at medical institutions where are located in Daegu, Busan and Ulsan Metropolitan Cities and Gyeongsangnam buk-do. After then, the following conclusions were obtained. Results : 1. As a result of surveying practice by item in the practice level of infection prevention, the items with high practice level in the management of infectious diseases were surveyed to be 12 months(89.6%) for health-checkup cycle and to be having experience of vaccination(78.0%) for hepatitis type B. The items with high practice level in the management and practice of washing hands were indicated to be in order of regularly paper towel(87.7%) and hands cleaning after regular medical examination(80.5%). In the item of the practice on wearing and managing individual protection equipment, regularly wearing(93.1%) rubber globes given washing implements was indicated to be high. 2. As a result of analyzing working career, working institution, working region, and practice level of infectious-disease management, the appearance of fulfilling infection control guidelines at medical institution and the experience of education for infection control were indicated to have difference depending on working institution. Regularly health checkup was indicated to have difference depending on respondents' working career and working institution. 3. The whole average in the practice level of infection prevention according to working career, working institution, and working region was indicated to be 2.55 out of 3-point perfection. 4. Wearing latex gloves was indicated to have statistically significant difference depending on working institution(p<0.001) and working region(p<0.001). The exchange of latex gloves every patient and the use of paper apron had statistically significant difference depending on working region(p<0.001). 5. As a result of comparing the frequency of using protection equipment for preventing infection according to the management of infectious diseases, the statistically significant difference was shown depending on the appearance of infection control guidelines at medical institution(p<0.001), the appearance of having experience of health checkup(p<0.01), and the appearance of having experience of vaccination for hepatitis type B(p<0.05). Conclusions : The above-mentioned findings showed that the denture satisfaction of the denture-wearing senior citizens was linked to their subjective oral health awareness. Therefore it will be possible to improve denture-wearing elderly people's quality of life when oral health plans geared toward boosting their denture satisfaction are carried out.