Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of the study was to investigate the regional distribution and working environment of clinical dental hygienists in Korea. Methods: From 2015 to October 2016, a questionnaire was completed by 5,708 participants and the data were analyzed. Results: The region with the largest increase in clinical dental hygienist employees compared to graduates is Seoul. More than 50.0% of clinical dental hygienists working for less than 1.8 million won in the payroll period of 4-6 years were working in the Gwangju Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, and Gangwon regions. In addition, incentives and bonuses were rarely provided by localities and agencies. Although 43.4% provided both parental leave and maternity leave. Conclusions: In order to solve the fundamental problem of inter-regional movement and employee turnover rate of clinical dental hygienists, as well as address the regional imbalance in labor supply and demand, efforts should be made for institutional improvement to strengthen management and implementation.
Figures & Tables
Table 1. Graduation school area and current working area frequency Unit: N(%)
