• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.845-858
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aims to contribute to devising systems for family caregivers of dementia patients by examining the state of oral care of dementia patients, and depression and social support among family caregivers of dementia patients. Methods: Family caregivers of dementia patients in the metropolitan area were selected in this study. The inclusion criteria were individuals who have provided care for a dementia patient at home for at least six months and those who come in contact (including phone calls) with the patient at least twice a week. Results: Oral health knowledge of the elderly, caregiving burden, depression, and social support were examined. The mean scores for oral health knowledge of the elderly and caregiving burden were $57.11{\pm}16.94$ out of 100 and $17.33{\pm}8.61$ out of 48, respectively. Further, the mean caregiving behavior score, depression score, and social support score were $8.49{\pm}13.71$ out of 100, $5.11{\pm}3.05$ out of 10, and $72.75{\pm}17.03$ out of 100, respectively. Factors affecting oral health knowledge of the elderly were examined. The results showed that the level of oral health knowledge of the elderly increased with an increasing perception of a need for oral health education (p<0.05), caregiving burden (p<0.01), and social support (p<0.01). Conclusions: These findings suggest that developing and popularizing oral care intervention programs for family caregivers of dementia patients are necessary to ensure systematic oral care for dementia patients.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.49 no.10
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• pp.584-598
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• 2011

The age structure has been experiencing substantial change due to the decreased birth rate as well as the increased life expectancy. Gorge Magnus, an English economist, casts warnings of population ageing which has the potential of huge socioeconomic impact human society has never experienced before. The prediction that proportion of elderly people in need of oral health care will increase substantially is a new challenge to dentists in the future. The old paradigm that the aged person is just the person who was born earlier and needs the same conventional oral health care should be shifted to the new one. Elderly people tend to express their political interest related with health care system by actively participating in the national elections. The need to sustain economic status for the extended life span makes them seek eagerly esthetic health care to maintain sound social function. Most of them are under multiple chronic diseases and take related medicines. In addition, many studies report about mental change as well as physical change among the aged people. Since the prevalence of dental diseases among the aged is higher than other chronic devastating diseases, the aged seeking oral health care will increase. The aged who has different physical and psychological status as well as chronic disease and related medicine will show unexpected response to the conventional oral health care. In addition, the impact of tooth loss is substantial physically, mentally and emotionally. Dentist should prepare different approaches for the elderly dental patient.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.611-621
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aimed to verify the impact of dental health care insurance coverage policy by analyzing the changes in dental care utilization and expenditures over 5 years from 2012 to 2016, when the dental health insurance coverage expansion policy was implemented. From the national cohort data collected by the Korea Health Panel Survey, a retrospective study was conducted for all household members using dental services. Methods: This study statistically verified the difference in the dependent variables by frequency analysis, chi-square test, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (SPSS version 22, IBM Co. USA, p<0.05). Results: The annual utilization rate steadily increased from 23.4% to 26.1% between 2012 and 2016. Although there were differences in utilization rates by gender, age, and income level, patients kept using the dental services in 2016 regardless of the type of health insurance. The average annual copayment for patient expenditures (out-of-pocket amount) increased from ￦463,844 to ￦537,401 in 2012 and 2016, respectively. Of the dental care expenditures over 5 years, the ratio of uninsured expenses by the elderly decreased from 38.5% to 25.9%, and the national health insurance service coverage increased from 40.3% to 49.1%. Conclusions: Although this policy did not reduce overall patient expenditures, it has been found that there was a positive effect on the elderly and low-income groups; it increased the utilization and access to dental services.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.200-205
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to determine the status of dental hygienists in Japan. The study explicated the history, core curriculum, National Examination for Dental Hygienists, work roles of dental hygienists, and workplaces of dental hygienists. This study was based on the government policy report on dental hygienists and the information published by each public institution. The latest statistics presented by the institutions were collected through official websites. The employment information of graduates from Hiroshima University was analyzed based on actual field study. The results of the study revealed that social demand for dental hygienists has steadily increased and policies and education have been revised accordingly. The work roles of dental hygienists have expanded to meet the needs of the treatment and those of public health fields. In line with major policy changes, the educational period has been extended from 1 year to 3 or 4 years, while the mandatory credits for graduation have been established. Licensing examinations were being performed by the local governments since 1948 due to the different situations of dental hygienists in different areas. In 1992, they were converted into a single national examination. The work roles have expanded from assisting dental treatments to health guidance, home care, and perioperative care. Consequently, the number of dental hygienists has increased, especially in healthcare facilities for the elderly. Dental hygienists perform various roles. However, the most essential role is to provide the best oral care services to the patient. The expected role of dental hygienists has expanded in alignment with public healthcare needs and support for the elderly. The government and universities are expected to bring about improvements such as diversifying the channels of education and establishing policies to respond to growing patient needs by cultivating excellent dental hygiene professionals.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.154-162
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• 2017

Tooth wear, one of the physiological changes in the elderly patient's mouth, generally does not require treatment, but requires prosthodontic restoration when occlusal disharmony, poor masticatory function, pulp exposure occurs. One of the primary considerations in prosthodontic restoration for tooth wear is vertical dimension. It is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis and analysis, correct judgement of the interdental relationship for predictive treatment plan. A step-by-step approach considering dental care for aged is also required. In this case, a 93-year-old male patient presented with worn dentition and mobility of existing fixed dental prosthesis. After diagnosis and evaluation, maxillary rehabilitation without any change in the occlusal vertical dimension was performed and this shows satisfactory results both functionally and morphologically.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.275-281
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• 2021

Background: The aim of this study was to understand the importance of professional oral care for inpatients by examining the type and frequency of surgery and hospital discharge period at dental hospitals, and identify the types of professional oral care actually in progress. Methods: In this study, the type of surgery and length of hospitalization were investigated among patients admitted to the dental hospital for oral and maxillofacial surgery, and the professional oral care status of inpatients who had difficulty self-managing their oral care was retrospectively identified by collecting data on oral care before and after surgery, including the type and frequency. Results: The majority of inpatients at dental hospitals were male (57.6%), elderly patients over 60 years accounted for 20% of patients, and the average length of hospitalization was 4 days. In the 20s (aged 20~29 y), the number of orthognathic surgery patients (73.1%) was high, and the incidence of cysts was high in middle-aged patients. Regarding the oral care of hospitalized patients, scaling was performed once by a dentist before surgery. After surgery, surgical dressings using H₂O₂ balls were applied and oral care education was introduced before discharge. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, professional oral care is essential to prevent infection and complications caused by oral bacteria among inpatients at dental hospitals. It is necessary to use various oral hygiene aids for inpatients and to conduct effective oral care instruction according to each patient's situation. In addition, it is necessary to raise awareness and the role of dental hygienists in professional oral care.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.284-292
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• 2023

Stable posterior occlusal support is crucial for adequate masticatory function and facial aesthetics. In elderly patients over the age of 65, masticatory ability has a significant impact on nutritional intake and overall health. This case report presents a prosthetic treatment of an elderly patient with edentulous maxilla and bilateral posterior edentulous mandible. The upper jaw was restored with a complete denture to establish an ideal occlusal plane, and the three-dimensional positions of the mandibular implants were determined accordingly. The implants were placed through computer-guided implant surgery and were immediately loaded with fixed provisional restorations. The implant-fixed zirconia final restorations were inserted in the lower posterior region, and the occlusal surface of posterior artificial teeth in the upper denture was substituted with cobalt-chrome alloy to resist occlusal wear. The patient's posterior occlusal support and masticatory function were promptly restored through this treatment process, and long-term stability against wear was also obtained.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.45 no.12 s.463
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• pp.753-760
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• 2007

Recently orthodontics in elderly people is continually increasing due to aging of the society arising from decrease of birth rate as well as death rate. As the elderly population grows, needs for oral health care increases, and elderly patients with poor teeth alignment need more attention with orthodontic treatment. Our study analyzes various treatment protocols for different cases of aged orthodontic patients, and following are considerations in orthodontic treatment of elderly patients. 1. Periodontal treatment should be preceded before orthodontic treatment. 2. Periodontal condition should be considered when selecting teeth for extraction 3. In dealing with the residual prosthesis, condition of prosthesis, anchorage availability, and need for size reduction, patient seconomic status should be taken into consideration. 4. Fixed retainers are recommended for retention.

• Oral Biology Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.208-215
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to identify the risk of dysphagia among patients that visited prosthodontics department, and evaluate the difference in risks arising from oral conditions and disease in order to preliminarily intervene the various influencing factors of dysphagia. A questionnaire was given to patients that were aged 65 years or older who visited the prosthodontics department between September to December 2017. The data was collected and analyzed using the t-test, $x^2-test$ and logistic regression analysis. The mean age of the patients was 75 years. Out of 300 patients, 206 patients (68.7%) had a risk of dysphagia. There were statistically significant differences between the -non-risk and risk groups, which included the number of natural teeth, total number of teeth including prosthesis, denture use, denture discomfort, number of tooth brushing, oral dryness, digestive system diseases, and musculoskeletal diseases. Among these, oral dryness was a risk factor while the total number of teeth, including natural teeth and prostheses, served as a protective factor. More than half of the elderly patients were at risk of dysphagia. Oral dryness is influenced by many factors and it should continuously be managed. Patients should fully recover their masticatory function by preserving the remaining teeth and compensating for the missing teeth. A dental practitioner should be fully aware of the risk of dysphagia in elderly patients and be able to intervene and offer proper patient health care in advance through treatment guidelines and education.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.283-293
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• 2015

Purpose: The aims of this study are to analyze and to visualize distribution of patients visiting at a dental college hospital, using geographic information system (GIS). The visualized data can be utilized in patient care and treatment planning, ultimately leading to the assessment of risk evaluation and prevention of dental diseases. Materials and Methods: Patient information data was obtained from Dankook University Dental Hospital including the unit number, gender, date of birth, and address from 2007 to 2014. Patient distribution was visualized using GIS. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS 9.3 and ArcGIS 10.1. Five factors including proximity, accessibility, age, gender, and socioeconomic status were investigated as the explanatory variables of the patient distribution. Results: The visualized patient data showed a nationwide scale of the patient distribution. There was a little difference in characteristics for each department. As closer at Dankook University Dental Hospital, visitors increased. And it strongly showed that elderly patients in rural areas tend to visit more. Conclusion: The distribution of patients has been shown to be significantly affected by the proximity, accessibility, age, gender and socioeconomic status. The underlying reason remains to be further studied.