치위생학과 교육과정에서의 치과의료커뮤니케이션 교과목 운영사례연구

The purpose of this study was to develop a dental communication course in dental hygiene schools that included theory, practice, and skill foreffective dental communication. Thirty-six senior dental hygiene students in a dental hygiene school took a dental communication course andresponded to a questionnaire. The instrument used in the study was a modified form of Kim’s communication skill self-assessment sheet. Theself-assessment questionnaire about communication competencies was administered before and after the class, and the difference betweenscores at each time point was analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank sum test. Among seven elements of dental communication competencies,the competency of “information gathering” was significantly improved (p=0.008). Students’ scores on perception of the importance (p=0.019) andnecessity (0.016) of a communication course significantly increased after the course. Competencies in communication are essential requirementfor dental hygienists. This study showed the possibility of communication skill training. An objective evaluation tool regarding students’communication competencies should be developed. Further studies with larger samples size are needed to develop a standardized comprehensivecommunication course in dental hygiene schools. KCI Citation Count: 11