open access
메뉴
ISSN : 0376-4672
Purpose: This study aimed to examine Gyeonggi-do dentists’ opinions on the model of registered dentists for the elderly. Materials and Methods: An online survey was conducted from June to August 2025, among members of the Gyeonggi-do Dental Association. Of the 4,690 members, 392 dentists participated (response rate = 8.4%), and 387 samples were analyzed after excluding 5 responses with inappropriate answers. The questionnaire was con structed with general characteristics, service items, and willingness to participate. Frequency and cross-tabulation were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 26.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA), with significance at α = 0.05. Results: Half of the respondents were in their 50s and most worked in dental clinics. The perceived needs for every service item were high; oral examination, professional oral hygiene care, and scaling showed the highest neces sity within each category. Patient history review and professional oral hygiene care were the greatest necessity in dentists with longer practice experience, whereas preventive service was rated higher by women and those with the least experience (p < 0.05). Most respondents suggested that individuals aged 65 years or older be the best target group, and 87.6% expressed willingness to participate. No significant differences were found in general characteristics for these questions (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Gyeonggi-do dentists recognized the importance of a preventive-oriented approach and the shift toward long-term care in the model of registered dentists for the elderly. It is necessary to include perspectives from various stakeholders, such as local government officials, to develop feasible strategies for implementation in future studies.(J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(3): 55-62)
Purpose: This study aimed to explore how practice-owner dentists in Korea experience burnout, how it intensi fies, and how they ultimately recover from it, using a phenomenological approach. Materials and Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve practice-owner dentists who had expe rienced both burnout and subsequent recovery. Interview data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenologi cal analytic method to extract meaning units, formulate themes, and identify the essential structure of the lived experience. Results: Analysis revealed a three-stage experiential trajectory: 1) a discrepancy between idealized expectations and the realities of clinic operation, 2) a deepening and collapse of burnout characterized by emotional, physical, and relational deterioration, and 3) a recovery phase involving self-care, environmental adjustments, social sup port, and identity reconstruction. Triggering events – including challenging patients, legal threats, staff conflicts, and health issues – frequently intensified distress and precipitated an existential crisis. Conclusion: Burnout recovery among practice-owner dentists emerged as a transformative process in which in dividuals reinterpreted burnout as an opportunity for self-reflection and reconstructed a sustainable professional identity. These findings underscore the need for personal coping strategies, practical training, and structural sup port systems to mitigate burnout within this professional group.(J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(3): 63-76
Purpose: Demands for long-term elderly care facilities and related welfare services are steadily increasing as the aging tendency of Korean society accelerates. However, oral health assessment and management of elderly in long-term care facilities are insufficient. This study aimed to investigate correlation between natural teeth and oral health status of the elderly in long-term care facilities. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on the elderly patients in long-term care facilities. Two dentists performed dental examination to elderly patients in long-term care facilities, and surveyed their natural teeth condition based on Korea national health and nutrition examination survey. Oral health conditions of patients were also recorded, and statistical analysis was performed between natural teeth condition and oral health status. Results: Xerostomia, temporomandibular joint pain, and limited mouth opening were related with all of the fac tors about natural teeth. The elderly in long-term care facilities with less natural teeth, less than 20 natural teeth, and edentulous state were proven to have severe xerostomia, temporomandibular joint pain, and limited mouth opening. In addition, poor periodontal condition, oral stomatitis and tongue coating were related with natural teeth condition of the elderly in long-term care facilities. Conclusion: Natural teeth of the elderly long-term care facilities are proven to be significantly related with several diseases of orofacial area in this study. Thus, comprehensive evaluation of natural teeth and oral health manage ment to maintain natural teeth should be actively pursued for the elderly in long-term care facilities.(J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(3): 77-82
Purpose: Despite limited evidence on the relationship between sleep and oral health, this study aimed to inves tigate the associations of sleep duration with masticatory discomfort and subjective oral health among Korean adults. Materials and Methods: This study included 155,106 participants aged ≥45 years utilizing data from the 2024 Community Health Survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Sleep duration was assessed based on daily sleep hours on workdays and weekends, averaged weekly, and categorized into five groups. Self-reported masticatory discomfort and oral health status were assessed using a questionnaire. Multi variable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between sleep duration and self-reported masticatory discomfort. Results: Inadequate sleep durations were significantly associated with increased odds of masticatory discomfort. Compared to individuals sleeping 7.0–7.9 hours, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of masticatory discomfort for those sleeping <5 hours was 1.377 (95% confidence interval: 1.273–1.491). These associations were significantly stronger among men (AOR = 1.503), adults aged 45–64 years (AOR = 1.467), individuals with moderate-to-severe depression (AOR = 1.611), white-collar or service/sales workers (AOR = 1.712 and 1.602, respectively), divorced individuals (AOR = 1.640), and urban residents (AOR = 1.405). Conclusions: Deviations from the recommended 7–8 hours of sleep are associated with increased masticatory discomfort. This association was stronger among men, middle-aged and older adults, white-collar and service workers, divorced individuals, and urban residents.(J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(3): 83-100)
Purpose: This study aimed to implement a dental instrument reprocessing management system based on wireless ICT and RFID technology and evaluate its operational efficiency and applicability in the dental clinical setting. Materials and Methods: For the development of the instrument reprocessing system, hardware components in cluding RFID tags, RFID readers, wireless internet devices, and a central server were integrated with software management programs. Once operational, the system collected information in real-time at each stage of the reprocessing workflow. System performance was evaluated in terms of stability, efficiency, and data accuracy. Results: During pilot operation, the system automatically recorded the reprocessing history of each instrument in chronological order. Functions such as verification of sterilization completion, real-time status monitoring, er ror detection in sterilization, and validity management were successfully implemented. Compared to traditional paper-based recording, instances of missing records and errors were significantly reduced, and rapid traceability was enabled in case of suspected infection events. Conclusion: The RFID-based dental instrument reprocessing management system can overcome limitations in repetitive and complex reprocessing workflows in dental practice, enhance operational efficiency, and provide tangible support for improving infection control standards.(J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(3): 101-110)
