Interest in health is increasing due to economic growth, medical development, increased demand for medical services, increased utilization of medical services, extended life expectancy of the people, and improved living standards [1], and the standard for disease has shifted from a treatment-oriented to a prevention-oriented health promotion perspective, increasing interest in oral health [2].

As the importance of oral health care increases, the demand for the use of dental institutions and quality dental services is increasing [3]. Dental hygienists are professionals who support management of oral health education, preventive dental treatment, and dental cooperation for patients with dental diseases and residents [1]. Therefore, the role of dental hygienists is becoming more and more important, and higher expertise is required along with the introduction of the latest medical technologies and equipment [4].

Utilizing the rapidly changing digitalization of various technologies and the broad power of information and communication technologies in the era of the 4th industrial revolution, science and technology such as 3D printing, big data, IoT, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence act as key growth engines [5]. The spread of COVID-19 worldwide in 2020 accelerated digital transformation, resulted in the activation of innovative technologies, and brought about changes in medical technologies [6].

Digital competence is a newly emerged term suggested by the European Union as one of the core competencies for lifelong learning, and is a set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to live in a digital society [7]. The core of digital competence is not only the technical aspect of skillfully using digital technology, but also the digital ethical aspect, including the awareness of citizenship, and recognizing the changes in society caused by digital transformation [8]. The Ministry of Education and the Korea Education and Research Information Service suggested that digital competence refers to “the practical ability to explore, manage, and solve problems through information through understanding and creating by understanding and utilizing digital technology with ethical attitudes necessary to live an independent life as a member of digital society.” The Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) has presented the necessary digital capabilities of the rapidly changing information society and emphasizes the importance of digital capabilities to be equipped in the digital age [9]. Digital life, sharing, and various interactions are about the development of digital literacy based on the learning competency that is the basis in social culture, and digital competency is required from simply using digital devices [5].

Even in the dental medical environment, the provision of high-quality services that increase patient satisfaction by utilizing state-of-the-art medical devices such as oral scanners, 3D radiation, and 3D printers in implant surgery, orthodontic treatment and prosthetic treatment is increasing, which is reported to have an effect on dental management and environmental improvement [10]. With the digitalization of dental medical institutions, the ability of dental hygienists to use computers and the Internet using information and communication technology is becoming important. These changes in the dental care environment require the acquisition and utilization of the latest knowledge and technologies based on the digital media literacy capabilities of dental hygienists. For this reason, it is necessary to grasp the level of digital competence for the dental hygienist profession at the time when many changes are made in educational methods and working environment [11].

Previous studies related to digital competency include Han’s [13] research on job performance of general teachers, Huh and Chung’s [11] research on job performance of early childhood teachers, and social workers’ job performance, but studies on the relationship between digital competency and work ability for dental hygienists are insufficient [5].

Therefore, this study was conducted to provide basic data for the development of educational programs to strengthen the digital capabilities of dental hygienists in the future by investigating the digital capabilities of dental hygienists and analyzing the relevance and influencing factors of dental hygienists’ job performance capabilities

1. Subject of study

This study is a study on the effect of digital capabilities of dental hygienists on their ability to perform their duties. The purpose of the study was explained to 200 dental hygienists working at dental hospitals and clinics in Gwangju, Jeonnam, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Seoul, and Gyeonggi-do, and a structured survey was conducted only for those who agreed. The sample size of the subjects was based on Cohen’s Power analysis using G*power 3.1.3, and the minimum sample size required under the conditions of significance level 5% (both sides), power 80% and effect size .15 was surveyed in consideration of the dropout rate. During the survey period, 189 copies that were faithfully answered were finally analyzed, excluding 11 insufficient responses, out of a total of 200 surveys collected from April 2, 2024 to May 1, 2024.

2. A research tool

The tool of this study consisted of 14 questions for digital competency, 13 questions for work performance, and a total of 7 questions for general characteristics. It consisted of individual characteristics such as age, educational background, marital status, and position with work experience, total working period, working institution information (type, number of employees), etc.

Digital competency is a total of 14 questions, Kim and Hwang [16]. The tool was used by modifying and supplementing the items according to the dental hygienist, and the sub-factors consisted of the use of digital devices, digital communication and cooperation, digital citizenship, and digital problem solving. Each question was answered with a Likert 5-point scale (1 point for ‘very not’, 2 points for ‘not’, 3 points for ‘normal’, 4 points for ‘yes’, and 5 points for ‘very much’) and it was judged that the higher the score, the higher the digital competency.

A total of 13 questions were used to modify and supplement Kim and Hwang’s [16] tool according to the dental hygienist, and the sub-factors consisted of preventive treatment, dental care cooperation, and management support. Each question was answered with a Likert 5-point scale (1 point for ‘very not’, 2 points for ‘not’, 3 points for ‘normal’, 4 points for ‘yes’, and 5 points for ‘very much’), and it was judged that the higher the score, the higher the ability to perform work.

3. Data analysis

Frequency analysis and descriptive statistical analysis were performed to understand the general characteristics of the study subjects. Independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were performed to confirm the effect of general characteristics on digital competency and job performance ability, and Scheffé test was used for post-test. Multilinear regression analysis was conducted to find out the factors influencing digital competency as an independent variable on job performance ability as a dependent variable. The collected data are IBM SPSS program (ver. 23.0; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used, and the statistical significance level was analyzed based on p<0.05.

1. General characteristics of the subject

As for the general characteristics of the survey subjects, those under the age of 29 accounted for the largest proportion with 48.1%, and unmarried accounted for the majority with 70.8%. As for the final academic background, vocational scholars accounted for the largest proportion with 69.3%, and for the total experience, 51-75 months accounted for 36.5%. As for the type of working institution, the dental clinic level accounted for the majority with 66.8%, and as for the working department, the treatment team accounted for a larger proportion with 84.4% (Table 1).

Table 1 . General characteristic of the subjects

Characteristics	Division	N	%
Age (yr)	≤29	91	48.1
	30-39	65	34.3
	40≤	33	17.4
Marriage	Single	134	70.8
	Married	55	29.1
Graduate	College	131	69.3
	University≤	58	30.6
Total career	≥50	49	25.9
	51-95	86	45.5
	96≤	54	28.5
Type of workplace	Dental clinic	117	61.9
	Dental hospital	72	38.0
number	1-4	102	53.9
	5≤	87	46.0
Department	medical team	158	83.5
	Deck-related work	31	16.4

2. Factorial and reliability analysis

In order to test the validity of the digital competency measurement tool, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted based on the item selection criterion of 1.0 or more and the factor loading value of 0.4 or more. As a result, it was divided into four factors: digital citizenship, digital problem solving, digital communication and cooperation, and digital device use, and the total variance explanatory power of the four components was 63.506% (Table 2).

Table 2 . Factor and reliability analysis of digital competency

	Dc	Dp	Dcc	Dd
Express what you want to say on the internet	.853	.049	.068	.113
Communicate using blogs, cafes, Facebook, Twitter, etc.	.852	.041	.151	.105
Communication is free on the internet	.830	.047	.115	.187
Exchange opinions with others on the internet	.728	.074	.221	−.015
Leveraging digital for decision making	.001	.832	.186	.122
Solve problems using digital media	.018	.827	.107	.130
Digital media to resolve various problems and conflict situations	.079	.820	.119	.092
Effectively utilize digital media ability to solve	.118	.805	.066	.154
Recognizing copyright as a digital citizen	.129	.134	.803	.067
Related regulations such personal information protection	.170	.118	.756	.174
Acquire and create correct information through critical thinking	.091	.150	.729	.196
Digital active participation in social issues through the media	.193	.087	.651	.264
Use the internet to obtain information or materials search	.117	.201	.056	.737
Internet banking, shopping, reservations/advance etc.	.111	.050	.172	.722
Know and practice the importance of internet security	.087	.110	.245	.721
Interested in digital devices and materials	.078	.164	.188	.667
Eigenvalue	2.958	2.925	2.587	2.456
Explanation variance (%)	19.861	16.719	14.248	13.678
Cumulative variance (%)	19.861	36.580	50.828	63.506
Cronbach’s alpha	9.24	9.12	8.94	8.81

Dd: digital device and utilization, Dcc: digital device and utilization, Dp: digital problem solving, Dc: digital citizenship.

In order to test the validity of the task performance measurement tool, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted based on the item selection criterion of 1.0 or more and the factor loading of 0.4 or more, and the total variance explanatory power of the four components was 65.332% (Table 3).

Table 3 . Factor and reliability analysis of dental hygienists on performance

	Mc	Dt	Bm
Measurement of vital signs identify and record the patient’s condition	.853	.225	.010
Know and perform appropriate procedures after surgery	.847	.087	.308
Fully understand and prepare the treatment plan before treatment	.807	.362	.135
Appropriately responds to emergencies that occur during treatment	.773	.303	.191
Patient’s condition (taking medical history, oral health, etc.) grasp	.145	.849	.165
Know and perform the dental biofilm management process	.277	.806	.125
Perform scaling tasks according to patient characteristics	.183	.799	.288
Know and perform topical fluoride application methods and principles	.376	.773	.131
To ensure smooth supply of medical supplies, drugs, management	.162	.098	.854
Inspect employees’ work attitudes and provide practical training support	.032	.202	.842
Medical data and documents (medical records, materials thoroughly managed	.207	.162	.786
Thoroughly manage and store medical data and documents	.167	.211	.777
Eigenvalue	3.413	3.383	3.165
Explanation variance (%)	26.442	21.331	18.559
Cumulative variance (%)	26.442	47.773	65.332
Cronbach’s alpha	.906	.902	.875

Dt: dental treatment, Mc: medical cooperation, Bm: business management.

3. Correlation analysis between variables

Digital citizenship, digital problem solving, digital communication and cooperation, digital device utilization, etc. identified through factor analysis of digital competency, and preventive treatment,The results of the correlation analysis for management support are shown in Table 4.

Table 4 . Inter-construct correlations of variable

	Average	Standard deviation	Dd	Dcc	Dp	Dc	Dt	Mc	Bm
DD	3.21	.674	1
DCC	3.37	.682	.466**	1
DP	3.85	.711	.354**	.328**	1
DC	3.53	.693	.328**	.354**	.267**	1
Dt	3.72	.671	.438**	.433**	.399**	.368**	1
Mc	3.65	.659	.384**	.364**	.415**	.289**	.317**	1
Bm	3.53	.674	.313**	.374**	.378**	.428**	.332**	.326**	1

p<0.05, **p<0.01.

Dd: digital device and utilization, Dcc: digital device and utilization, Dp: digital problem solving, Dc: digital citizenship, Pa: performance ability among, Dt: dental treatment, Mc: medical cooperation, Bm: business management.

4. Digital competency according to the general characteristics of the study subjects

Table 5 shows the results of analyzing digital competencies according to the general characteristics of the study subjects. As for the digital competency, age (≤29 3.73, 30-39 3.58, 40≤ 3.41) and final academic background (professional scholar 3.51, bachelor’s ≤3.73) and dental hospital type (dental clinic level 3.78, dental hospital 4.03) were statistically significant. Marriage status, total experience, number of dental hygienists, and working department were not statistically significant (p<0.05).

Table 5 . Digital capabilities according to general characteristics of research subjects

Characteristic	Sortation	Digital competence (mean±standard deviation)	t/F (p*)
Age (yr)	≤29	3.73±0.34	3.742 (0.02)
	30-39	3.58±0.62
	40≤	3.41±0.39
Marriage	Single	3.78±0.59	1.667 (0.98)
	Married	4.11±0.41
Graduate	College	3.51±0.37	3.209 (0.01)
	University≤	3.73±0.58
Total career	≥50	3.21±0.61	1.135 (0.02)
	51-95	4.59±0.57
	96≤	3.05±0.64
Type of workplace	Dental clinic	3.79±0.58	3.314 (0.04)
	Dental hospital	4.03±0.51
Number	1-4	3.82±0.61	1.457 (0.07)
	5≤	4.12±0.61
Department	Medical team	3.98±0.58	0.211 (0.83)
	Deck-related work	4.14±0.61

*p<0.05.

5. Ability to perform tasks according to the general characteristics of the study subjects

Table 6 shows the results of analyzing the job performance ability according to the general characteristics of the study subjects. The job performance ability was statistically significant in terms of age (≤29 3.41, 30-39 3.62, 40≤3.89) and final academic background (professional 3.47, academic ≤ 3.76), total experience (≥50 3.42, 51-95 3.81, 96≤ 4.03), and working department (medical team 3.59, desk-related work, 4.11). Marriage status, hospital type, and number of dental hygienists were not statistically significant (p<0.05).

Table 6 . Work performance ability according to general characteristics of research subjects

Characteristic	Sortation	Ability to perform business (mean±standard deviation)	t/F (p*)
Age (yr)	≤29	3.41±0.42	3.742 (0.02)
	30-39	3.62±0.51
	40≤	3.89±0.44
Marriage	Single	3.62±0.43	1.382 (0.511)
	Married	3.91±0.52
Graduate	College	3.47±0.43	3.429 (0.002)
	University≤	3.76±0.51
Total career	≥50	3.42±0.41	3.224 (0.003)
	51-95	3.81±0.49
	96≤	4.03±0.57
Type of workplace	Dental clinic	3.75±0.43	1.793 (0.924)
	Dental hospital	3.62±0.47
Number	1-4	3.77±0.58	1.457 (0.088)
	5≤	3.63±0.42
Department	Medical team	3.59±0.52	3.287 (0.003)
	Deck-related work	4.11±0.43

*p<0.05.

6. The impact of digital competence on your ability to perform tasks

In order to analyze the factors influencing the digital competency of the study subjects on their ability to perform tasks, digital devices and utilization, digital communication and cooperation, digital problem solving, and digital citizenship, which are sub-factors of digital competency, were analyzed as independent variables, and digital citizenship was analyzed as dependent variables. The linear regression model was also statistically significant (F=22.541, p<.001), and 43.8% had explanatory power, and the digital competencies significant to the ability to perform tasks were digital communication and cooperation (t=3.998, p<.001), and digital decision-making (t=3.014, p<.001). The analysis results are shown in Table 7.

Table 7 . Analyzing the factors affecting digital capabilities on work performance

Characteristics	Subfactor	Unstandardized coefiicient		Standardized coefficient	t
		B	SE	β
Digital competency	(constant)	0.103	0.384		0.241
	Digital device and utilization	0.179	0.112	0.124	1.772
	Digital communication and cooperation	0.347	0.058	0.251	3.998
	Digital problem solving	0.197	0.061	0.221	3.014
	Digital citizenship	0.117	0.062	0.131	1.224
R2=.438, Adj R2=.320, F=22.541, p<.001, Durbin-Watson=1.592

In recent years, in the field of dental care, various studies using digital devices and contents have been conducted, and digital capabilities for dental personnel are required [16.17]. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze the factors influencing the digital capabilities of dental hygienists on their job performance capabilities and to become the basis for the necessity of developing educational programs to strengthen the digital capabilities of dental hygienists in the future.

Therefore, in this study, the digital competency consisted of using digital devices, digital communication and cooperation, digital citizenship, and digital problem solving by modifying and supplementing the questions according to the dental hygienists. As a result of analyzing the digital competency according to the general characteristics of the subject of the study, the digital competency was the highest at 3.73 under the age of 29, and the final academic background was 3.73 with a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the number of dental hygienists working in dental hospitals was statistically significant at 4.03. However, it was not statistically significant in marital status, total experience, number of dental hygienists, and working departments. As a result of analyzing the job performance ability according to the general characteristics of the study subjects, the ability to perform tasks was the highest at 3.89 in the age of 40 or older, 3.76 for bachelor’s degree or higher, 4.03 for 96 months or more in total experience, and 4.11 for desk-related work in the working department. In addition, marriage, hospital type, and number of dental hygienists were not statistically significant. Digital devices and utilization, digital communication and cooperation, digital problem solving, and digital citizenship, which are sub-factors of digital competency, were analyzed as independent variables, and digital communication, cooperation, and digital decision-making among digital competencies were found to have a significant impact on job performance.

This study is significant in that it analyzes the relevance and influence factors of dental hygienists’ job performance capabilities using digital capabilities required in the era of the 4th industrial revolution as variables and provides basic data for the development of educational programs to strengthen and improve the digital capabilities of dental hygienists. However, to present the limitations and suggestions of this study, it was somewhat insufficient to generalize the results by studying only dental hygienists working in some areas, and there was a limit to comparative analysis with this study due to the lack of previous studies examining digital capabilities for dental hygienists.

Further research will be needed to analyze various factors affecting digital competencies and the ability of dental hygienists to perform tasks by designing related research that can objectify and generalize research results in the future. In the future, dental hygienists who respond and educate patients of various age groups in the dental field will also need customized education to strengthen digital capabilities. In addition, efforts to develop an effective dental hygiene specialized curriculum that can improve digital capabilities and to operate related programs will be needed.

As a result of this study, the higher the digital competency, the more positive the dental hygienist’s ability to perform work, and it seems necessary to foster digital communication, cooperation, and digital decision-making among digital competencies to improve the dental hygienist’s ability to perform work. Therefore, convergence education is needed in the future to improve the ability to perform work, including digital competencies.

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.