Radiation safety behavior model for dental hygiene departments of universities in South Korea

Background: Dental hygiene departments in Korean institutions of higher education regularly use radiography systems for educating students. Despite reports indicating that exposure doses from these radiation-generating devices are small, and thus, present low risks for causing physical harm or chromosomal abnormalities, the large numbers of people who participate in oral examinations involving dental radiography raise questions about the optimal methods for managing radiation safety. Materials and Methods: Social cognitive theory incorporating major variables pertaining to radiation safety management derived from the Haddon Matrix was used. This model proposes and refines an approach for enhancing the radiation safety behaviors of both professors and students in Korea’s collegiate dental hygiene departments. Results: The results of the study indicate that professors respond most favorably to stated expectations for accomplishing effective radiation safety management; thus model proposes that enhancing safety behaviors among professors depends upon cultivating organizational environments with clear expectations. Students, in contrast, engage in desirable radiation safety management behaviors when they can display self-efficacy; thus, the model proposes that personal education that enhances their practical knowledge for engaging in desired behaviors is most desirable. Conclusion: To enhance the current radiation safety management behaviors of the collegiate dental hygiene departments in Korea, it will be helpful to establish a strategy arising from the model developed here.