Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the dental hygienists’ supports and demands regarding the Long-term Senior Care Insurance System, which has been enforced since July 2008. This system was expected to go through trials and errors, so that it can provide reference materials with which to formulate a new LSCI System for oral health and contribute to improving the effectiveness of this system. Methods: This study was used a formulated self-administered questionnaire form to survey dental hygienists working in Seoul and the adjacent metropolitan areas from January to April 2009. As a result, this study collected a total of 259 completed questionnaire forms. All the collected survey data was processed using SPSS ver 12.0 for the data analyses such as frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, independent t-test and one-way ANOVA, in addition to using Pearson’s correlation coefficient to determine any potential correlations among the variables. Results: It was found that 50.6% of the respondents replied that they knew just the name of the LSCI System, but only 4.2% respondents knew about the detailed coverage of the LSCI System. This study used a 5-point scale to survey the dental hygienists’ needs for the LSCI System. It was found that our respondents scored the highest mean points (3.96) in favor of enforcing the LSCI System, while scoring the lowest mean points (3.08) in favor of an extra premium payable under the LSCI system. According to the analysis for the potential correlations between the needs for the LSCI System and the related variables, it was found that the standard of the LSCI System for the disabled was positively correlated with favoring the enforcement of the LSCI system (r=.213) (p<0.001). Conclusions: It is concluded that dental hygienists have very low awarenss about the overall matters of the current LSCI system, but most of them showed positive utews about the LSCI system and the wider range of bhowfits from it. Thus, it is em,ortant that our government should eventually prepare a public relation program suitable for public of thepersonnel in the interest of the LSCI system’s stable establishment and aem sation. Furthermore, policyof torts needs to be made to extend the coverage into a gortter, ortion of the ppoulation, including the disabled, so that the LSCI System will be successfullyofstablished as substantial national system based on national trust and peace of mind.