Abstract
Objectives : This research identified the attitude towards senior citizens targeting the workers of the facility for senior citizens to establish Long-Term Care Insurance System early on, and to identify the degree of perception on the importance of senior citizens' oral health and on the need for dental sanitation specialists. Methods : This research targeted 233 workers of the facility for the senior citizens located in some parts of the Gyeongnam area. Survey was conducted from December 1, 2009 to January 31, 2010 to identify the facility workers' attitude towards senior citizens and on the perception towards Long-Term Care Insurance System. Results : 1. As for the awareness towards senior citizens, 50.2% said that they are comfortable around senior citizens while degree of kindness towards senior citizens was 48.5%. 21.0% had experienced training for senior citizens' oral health management. As for the question on who should serve as the trainer, dental sanitation specialists were citied the most with 47.6%. 29.2% was very interested in the senior citizens' oral health while 83.7% said that oral cavity managers are needed in the facility for the senior citizens. As for the question on who should be in charge, if necessary, dental sanitation specialist was cited the most with 57.9%. 2. Awareness on the Long-Term Care Insurance System, treatment for the oral cavity sanitation by visiting homes and information on the activity of long-term care specialists was high following the experience of training for the senior citizens' oral health management in case of the workers at the senior citizens' facility. This manifested statistically significant difference(p<0.05)(p<0.01). Moreover, treatment for oral cavity sanitation manifested statistically significant difference was manifested in the treatment for oral cavity sanitation following the need for oral health managers and who should be in charge, if necessary(p<0.01). Conclusions : These results advocate the need to develop diverse senior citizens' oral health management methods and to continue to carry out actions for senior citizens' oral health improvement that can be carried out by the long-term caretakers for the management of senior citizens' oral cavity health.