치과위생사 직무와 국가시험 연계성 연구

Alignment between Dental Hygienist Roles and the National Examination

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the alignment between the duties of dental hygienists and the national examination, and to provide foundational data for future national examinations to better reflect the actual duties of dental hygienists. Methods: A Focus Group Interview was conducted with 10 professors who have over 20 years of experience in dental hygiene education. Results: The subjects that showed a high correlation between the national examination and the duties performed included Dental Prophylaxis, Oral Physiology, Preventive Dentistry, Dental Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Conservative Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry, Prosthodontics, Periodontology, and Orthodontics. In the context of infection control duties, the cleaning and sterilization of instruments were covered in the national examination under the subjects of Dental Prophylaxis and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Conclusions: It is necessary to reduce the gap between educational and clinical settings, especially for duties with high performance rates that are currently not reflected in the national examination. This will require consensus among educators and efforts to improve the quality management of dental hygiene education.