Abstract
Although the number of clinics offering temporomandibular joint (TMJ) physical therapy has been increasing to help with its treatment, the scope of dental physiotherapy reflected in the dental hygienist curriculum is very limited. This study aims to survey the status of dental physiotherapy work and the need for educating dental hygienists. An online community platform was used to survey 140 dental hygienists working in clinical dental hospitals. The survey included questions about general characteristics, the experience of dental physiotherapy work, the importance of physiotherapy work performance, and the need for physical therapy education for dental hygienists. Half of the study participants had prior experience working in dental physiotherapy. Out of 140 participants, 88.6% agreed with the opinion that ‘physical therapy work is important or that it will become important.’ Furthermore, 84.3% agreed that ‘physical therapy education is necessary for dental hygienists’. Even dental hygienists without physical therapy experience (50.7%) believed that related education would be necessary because of the importance of physical therapy work in dentistry. This study suggests the need for education in dental physiotherapy to help dental hygienists effectively perform clinical tasks.
Figures & Tables
Table 1. Descriptive statistics of the study population for dental hygienists (N=140)
