This study was intended to lay the foundation for the developmental curriculum and educate and train the dental hygienist armed with speciality by enabling dental hygiene majors to evaluate their job capability for themselves.
It was found that students majoring in dental hygiene had the low level of job capability, of satisfaction with dental hygiene and of pride in the occupation of dental hygienist compared to the high recognition of it. And it was found that as they had the high level of satisfaction with dental hygiene, they had the high level of job capability and of pride in the occupation as dental hygienist.
Especially, many students showed the response of 'moderate'. This is due to the subjective evaluation made of their job capability, not to the objective evaluation. It is thought that they had no self-confidence in saying 'affirmative' or 'very affirmative'. And it is thought that dental hygiene majors need to reinforce education for their own positive and self-confident evaluation and learn through practical job.
The dental hygienist is the practitioner able to perform a role suited to the stream of the times, as good-quality medical service provider, not simple dental assistant or scaling technician.
This study proposed the education capable of meeting students' needs with the development of laying the foundation as professional person and the practice-centered education through the practice of experiencing with diverse patients.