Perceptions of Visiting Oral Health Service Providers: Using the Q Method and Focusing on Suggestions for the Role of Dental Hygienists in a Community.
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Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to identify the types and characteristics of providers' (dental hygienists and caregivers) perceptions of visiting oral health care services and explore the contents of visiting oral health care services and the social role of dental hygienists in promoting the health of older adults in the upcoming post-aged society.
Methods: This study was conducted using the Q method. The Q sample utilised the same 32 statements selected by Lee et al. (2021), who analysed the perceptions of Korean older adults on home-visiting oral health care services. The P sample was randomly selected and included 16 dental hygienists and 16 caregivers who provide oral hygiene care for older adults in the community. The 32 participants were asked to rank the statements in the Q-set based on their level of agreement. The Q-sorted data were analysed using the PC-QUANL programme.
Results: A four-factor structure with five factor types was identified, explaining 50.9% of the variance. Analysis of provider perception types revealed differences regarding who should deliver oral health care to older adults-dental teams including dentists and hygienists or hygienists alone-and in service content and focus. However, most providers agreed that dental hygienists should accurately assess older adults' oral health needs and deliver appropriate care.
Conclusion: To promote the health of older adults in the future, dental hygienists should be recognised as essential providers in community-based care systems and supported by national policy to deliver accessible, collaborative and preventive services.
期刊介绍：
The ultimate aim of Gerodontology is to improve the quality of life and oral health of older people. The boundaries of most conventional dental specialties must be repeatedly crossed to provide optimal dental care for older people. In addition, management of other health problems impacts on dental care and clinicians need knowledge in these numerous overlapping areas. Bringing together these diverse topics within one journal serves clinicians who are seeking to read and to publish papers across a broad spectrum of specialties. This journal provides the juxtaposition of papers from traditional specialties but which share this patient-centred interest, providing a synergy that serves progress in the subject of gerodontology.
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