Competencies of dental nurses working at subdistrict health promoting hospitals, in perspective of public health personals

Abstract

          The objective of this study was to study the levels of actual and expected competencies among dental nurses working at subdistrict health promoting hospitals, in perspective of the public health personals. This study was a survey research. The data providers were ninety-eight public health personals of the subdistrict health promoting hospitals where the dental nurses worked at, in the fifth district health service. The statistics used for analysis included frequency, percentages, means, standard deviations and Paired t-test. 

          The results showed that the overall actual competencies were at a high level and the overall expected competencies among dental nurses were at a high level. The actual and expected competencies of the dental nurses according to the evaluation of the public health personals were significantly different at the level of 0.05. The largest mean differences between the actual and expected competencies were management and academic performance whereas the least mean differences were dental services and access to dental services.

          In conclusion actual and expected competencies of the dental nurses operating in the district health promoting hospitals assessed by the directors of the public health personals overall competency were at high levels. The highest mean scores were the fifth and the first competencies. The fifth competency was accessing to dental services and the first competency was health promotion and oral disease prevention.