A scoping review of dental healthcare services in Korea: focusing on service factors related to dental hygienists

Objectives: This study conducted a scoping review of the literature on dental healthcare services in Korea to identify research trends and key characteristics.Particularly, it examined the current status of research related to the healthcare services of dental hygienists and suggest directions for future studies.Methods: A total of 22 studies on dental healthcare services in Korea were analyzed using a fivestage scoping review process: identifying the research question, searching for relevant studies, selecting eligible studies, extracting and charting the data, and analyzing the results.The analysis focused on the research design, analytical methods, measurement tools, key variables, and major findings.Results: All the studies used quantitative designs, primarily focusing on service quality, patient satisfaction, and intention to revisit.Most studies used the SERVQUAL or SERVPERF models to assess overall dental services, whereas few independently evaluated dental hygienist services.Professionalism and communication among dental hygienists were significant factors influencing patient satisfaction.Conclusions: Despite their essential role, the services of dental hygienists remain underexplored.Future research should focus on developing standardized patient-centered measurement tools and incorporating qualitative and mixed-method approaches.