Contents analysis of the community dental hygiene practice outcome evaluation

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the contents analysis of the community dental hygiene practice in the dental hygiene students and suggest the outcome based evaluation index of community dental hygiene practice. This study will provide the basic data for the community nursing and social welfare practice. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 82 dental hygiene professors and 254 dental hygienists in community health centers after receiving informed consent based on institutional review board from 5th Dec 2014 to 30th Jul 2015. A total of 49 professors and 134 dental hygienists gave the complete answers. The study instrument was adapted from the literature review. The questionnaire consisted of evaluation, purpose of evaluation, and evaluation format. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 program. The contents analysis was carried out through input, process, output, and outcome. Results: The practice outcome evaluation was conducted in 62.9% of the dental hygiene departments and 32.9% of the community health centers. Most of the dental hygiene professors chose “To know what students learned(27.3%)” and “To ensure student’s role and behavior in practice(27.3%).” as the purpose of evaluation. The public dental hygienists chose “To score the practice grade(42.1%).” The evaluation method was done anonymously. Conclusions: The outcome based evaluation in community dental hygiene practice was the best method to evaluate the practice education for the competency of the dental hygiene students.