Work Environment and Conflict Level of Dental Hygienists Affect Turnover

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to understand how work environment and conflict level of dental hygienists affect turnover for the efficive manpower management of dental hygienists. Methods : Dental hygienists in dental (hospital)clinics near Daegu were randomly selected as the subjects of this study, and the followings analysis results are from 249 questionnaires: which were collected from March 2 to March 31 2011. Results : Among the 249 dental hygienists surveyed, 33.7% experienced turnover and 59.0% had turnover intention. From the analysis of the demographic, working environment and levels of conflict, dental hygienists had significantly higher turnover experiences based on following factors: older age, employment at a dental clinic rather than a dental hospital, longer working hours, longer total career as a dental hygienist, and longer of length of time at their current job. Furthermore, dental hygienists had significantly higher turnover intentions based on the following factors: younger age, more ignorant and higher level of discomfort due to conflict levels. Conclusions : Therefore, the working environment of dental hygienists has to be improved to inspire motivation, and conflict management has to be taughht within an organization to allow free communication and active participation in decision-making.