MPH, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Introduction: There are high levels of dental caries, gingival and periodontal diseases and a lack of oral health awareness in the wider South African population. Thus every district’s oral health strategy must include disease prevention and health promotion approach. Oral hygienists are the main drivers of these services in the public sector. Aim: To determine the activities of oral hygienists in the public sector in Gauteng and KwaZulu – Natal provinces. Objectives: 1) To obtain the demographic profile of oral hygienists employed in Gauteng and KwaZulu -Natal provinces. 2) To determine their current duties, tasks and responsibilities. 3) To identify factors that may hinder the provision of services. Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive study and data was collected by means of a self administered questionnaire that was hand delivered to all oral hygienists employed in Gauteng and in KwaZulu - Natal provinces in 2005. Results: Thirty two oral hygienists (78%) responded to the questionnaire, 94% of whom were female with an average age of 37 years. Twenty three (72%) were Black, 6 (19%) White, 2 (6%) Indian and 1 (3%) Coloured, with an average iv working experience of 10 years. Almost half (47%) were employed as chief, 16% as senior and 37% as junior oral hygienist. Almost all (94%) complained of poor salaries and 78% said that there were no opportunities for promotion. Oral hygienists performed both clinic-based and community-based services. The majority (95%) of the community-based services was preventive; the most common preventive services being rendered to the community was oral health education (84%), brushing programs (75%) and examination, charting and screening (69%). Seventy seven percent (77%) of clinic-based services included preventive procedures the most common being scaling and polishing or root planing (88%), examination and charting (84%) and oral hygiene instructions (75%). The majority of oral hygienists (94%) worked in the public sector to provide a service to the community. Seventy six percent (76%) had experiences that hindered the provision of services. Almost all (97%) wanted to study further, the main area of interest being the dental field. Conclusion: It is evident that the duties, tasks and responsibilities of oral hygienists in both KZN and GP include activities associated predominantly with the prevention and control of oral diseases and oral health promotion. In South Africa, a decline in oral diseases (dental caries and periodontal diseases) can be achieved by enhancing the use of oral hygienists in the public sector.

Aim of the study. To evaluate the opinion of odontologists concerning the need for oral hygienists in Kaunas. Methods. Odontologists, working privately and in public institutions, were asked to fill in the anonymous questionnaires. 216 questionnaires were distributed to odontologists and 200 odontologists responded (response rate 92,6%). The data was analysed by SPSS 11.0 for Windows statistical software. Chi square and z criterions were used to evaluate relations between the variables. Results. Almost all odontologists (94.5%) indicated that there is a need for oral hygienist, i.e., they would like to work together. However only 40.9% of them affirmed, that oral hygienists are full time employed in their institution. Majority of odontologists (87.3%) noted, that it is important to work with oral hygienist because of the better image and financial profit. When odontologist and oral hygienist started working together, patients’ health status of oral cavity improved, odontologist’s work became easier, and patients’ attitude towards the oral hygiene has changed. Comparison of the responses of odontologists, working privately and in public institutions, revealed that oral hygienists are employed almost in all public institutions (97%) and only in half of private offices (p<0.05). Expensive maintenance was indicated by private odontologists as the reason, why oral hygienists are not employed, therefore majority of odontologists (69.1%) perform oral hygiene by themselves. Private... [to full text]

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / High attrition, low retention and low throughput are major problems facing South African higher education institutions. These problems have been attributed to student under-preparedness as a result of the legacy of apartheid education provision and associated limited academic opportunities available to working-class learners. South African studies indicate that black and working-class students are less likely to perform well than their middle-class peers. In the health sciences poor academic achievement is frequently associated with poor clinical competence. Diminished clinical competence has the potential to compromise patient treatment success. This study, therefore, set out to examine the influence of diversity, with particular reference to race and social class, and the educational climate in shaping the clinical competence of students in an oral health program at a Faculty of Dentistry in South Africa. The purpose of the study was to understand the relationship between diversity, educational climate, and clinical competence so as to better support the learning of all students in the oral health program. Two concepts informed the theoretical parameters of the study – diversity and educational climate. In addressing diversity, Bourdieu’s construct of economic and cultural capital provided the conceptual tools for examining the extent to which students’ race and social class locations shaped their readiness for higher education and hence influenced their experiences and performance in the program. In terms of the educational climate, Tinto’s constructs of social and academic integration, provided the lens for explicating students’ persistence in the program, taking into account their social and academic experiences. Set in a qualitative paradigm, a case study design was used, based on its characteristic principles of bounded place, context, time and activity. The cohort was the first-year class of 2007 in the oral health program. The students of the cohort were tracked longitudinally from 2007 to 2010. Data was gathered from a range of quantitative and qualitative sources, such as, analysis of faculty documents, observations, mark schedules, student reflective writing, focus group and individual interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. This process involved drawing on the literature related to diversity and educational climate to identify emergent patterns and themes from the data, and then interpreting their meaning through the lenses of capital and social and academic integration. This study illuminated many ways in which student performance was affected by diversity, with particular reference to race and social class locations and associated access to economic and cultural capital. Differences between middle-class and working-class students were noted in their performance, their preparation for university and its academic demands as well as in how these two groups of students interacted in the classroom. Significant differences were also noted in their transition and integration experiences at a social, professional and academic level. In addition, the study explicated ways in which the faculty, through its culture, structure, and pedagogy, appeared to contribute to an educational climate which either supported or deterred student integration, both in social and academic ways. Cumulatively the challenges experienced by working-class students in particular appeared to have had real effects. The most significant effects were on their morale, their intent to engage and integrate and their consequent learning, academic performance and clinical competence. This study did not intend to solve but rather to understand the issue of differential performance. The findings of the study are envisioned to inform faculty and institutional strategies toward increasing effectiveness and responsiveness to differing student needs.