This study was conducted to investigate the career history and perceptions about dental hygiene education programs among the alumni (1952-1999 graduates) of the School of Dental Hygiene in Tokyo Medical and Dental University. A questionnaire containing demographic, practice characteristics and views on the programs was mailed to 997 alumni in 1999, and 576 alumni (57.8%) responded.
Three hundred and forty-one respondents worked as dental hygienists. The majority who responded were in clinical practice. One hundred and thirty-one of the respondents worked in private clinics, 76 in public health centers, and 72 in clinics in companies. The rate of them who worked in public health centers was much higher than the national average cited in the Statistical Report on Public Health Administration and Services.
Two hundred and ninety-one respondents reported inadequate programs. The rate of them who reported inadequate programs was significantly higher in alumni who were working than in alumni who were not. The items cited as insufficiently taught at the school were clinical practice, instrumentation, foreign language, psychology, counseling, and nursing related subjects. Thus, many alumni suggested the need for better programs and continuing education.
From these results, it was suggested that dental hygienists need to change their education programs in order to meet the present and future needs of more diversified society. This view was particularly prevalent among alumni who were working. The result showed that dental hygiene educators and dental hygienists urgently need to reconsider the professionalism of their field.
