Investigation of Dental Hygienists’ Practice about Rules on Dental Disputes Prevention

Background: This study analyzed the practice of dental medical dispute prevention rules of dental hygienists to present an improvement plan for improving perceived importance and practice and provide data for the development of effective medical dispute prevention programs.Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted targeting dental hygienists who were providing assistance at dental hospitals and dental clinics in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do regions from March 22 to April 28, 2022. The questionnaire collected from 273 dental hygienists consisted of eight questions on general characteristics, 30 questions on medical dispute experience, and 14 questions on medical dispute prevention. Results: Complaints showed a high experience rate in ‘Consultation & reservation’, medical disputes in ‘Patient handling (unkind) related’, and ‘Prosthesis installation and cement removal’. In both the importance and practice of medical dispute prevention rules, ‘Preservation of medical records and other medical-related data’ was high, and ‘Management of patients on standby for a long time’ was low in terms of practice. ‘Lack of time’ and ‘Lack of manpower’ were cited as reasons for not resolving dental treatment disputes. The importance of dental dispute prevention rules was found to be significant according to age and position, and it was also found to affect the level of practice. Conclusion: Seventy-six-point six percent of the respondents said that education on the prevention of medical disputes was necessary, although they lacked recognition of prevention rules compared to their perceptions and experiences. This study suggested specifying prevention rules in dental hygiene subjects and expanding education, improvement of dental treatment system, revise the law on the range of work to improve the recognition and practice of prevention rules.