Perceptions of and Educational Need for Digital Dentistry Convergence Education Among Dental Hygiene and Dental Technology Students in South Korea
1
Department of Dental Technology, Dongnam Health University, Suwon 16328, Republic of Korea
2
Department of Dental Hygiene, Dongnam Health University, Suwon 16328, Republic of Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Digital 2025, 5(4), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5040055
Submission received: 3 September 2025
/
Revised: 7 October 2025
/
Accepted: 11 October 2025
/
Published: 14 October 2025
Abstract
The increasing recognition of interprofessional education in dentistry has further stimulated interest in digital dentistry-based convergence education as a means of fostering collaboration and enhancing clinical competence. Therefore, this study aimed to examine perceptions, experiences, perceived necessity, and educational needs regarding digital dentistry convergence education among undergraduate students majoring in dental hygiene and dental technology in South Korea. A total of 464 valid responses were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed for general characteristics, perceptions of convergence education, prior learning experience, perceived necessity, and preferred curriculum areas. Frequency analysis, chi-squared tests, and correlation analyses were applied. The participants’ direct experience with convergence education was limited, but more than 90% of the respondents recognized its necessity. Dental hygiene students most frequently preferred convergence with dental technology, while dental technology students preferred convergence with dental hygiene. Both groups prioritized clinical and basic courses as areas for convergence education and expected improvements in job-related knowledge as the primary educational outcome. Dental hygiene and dental technology students strongly acknowledged the importance of digital dentistry convergence education and interdisciplinary collaboration. These findings support the development of learner-centered convergence curricula and highlight the need to establish feasible educational models through curriculum innovation.
1. Introduction
The healthcare field is rapidly evolving toward emphasizing core competencies such as interprofessional collaboration skills and convergent thinking [1,2]. In particular, dental hygiene and dental technology are representative disciplines that require close collaboration in clinical dental practice. However, undergraduate education for these two majors is still conducted through separate curricula, which may result in limited mutual understanding and communication barriers. Such issues can potentially lead to reduced efficiency and errors in clinical practice, thereby increasing the demand for convergence education and interprofessional education (IPE) in curriculum development [3]. Furthermore, the dental field is rapidly adopting and expanding digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, intraoral scanners, CAD/CAM, and 3D printing, which is further increasing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration capabilities [4,5]. Without structured convergence education that reflects these changes, students may acquire technical expertise within their own disciplines but lack interprofessional collaboration skills, thereby increasing the likelihood of compromised quality in patient care [2,6].
Convergence education goes beyond simple knowledge delivery by enhancing job performance, multidisciplinary communication skills, and problem-solving abilities through practice-based training that reflects actual clinical workflows [6,7]. In the dental field, collaboration is essential in treatment planning and the design and fabrication of prostheses. Shared learning experiences between disciplines therefore provide a critical foundation for demonstrating professional competence in clinical practice [8]. By enabling students to understand the roles of other disciplines and to develop an integrated clinical perspective, convergence education can serve as a key means of implementing competence-based, practice-oriented education [9,10].
With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, advances in digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, intraoral scanners, 3D printing, and CAD/CAM have brought significant changes to dental practice and educational environments [11,12,13,14]. These digital innovations are applied throughout the processes of diagnosis, treatment planning, and prosthesis fabrication, making technological integration and interprofessional collaboration increasingly essential [15,16]. However, it is difficult to fully understand and utilize such advanced technologies through single-discipline education alone, highlighting the need to foster practical collaborative competencies through convergence education [5]. In particular, the effective use of digital equipment and interpretation of data can maximize the outcomes of dental education and clinical practice when dentists, dental hygienists, and dental technicians work in close cooperation.
Digital dentistry-based convergence education can be defined as a structured interdisciplinary learning model that integrates digital dental technologies such as CAD/CAM, intraoral scanners, and 3D printing into curricula, enabling students from different disciplines to share the same integrated educational experience [4]. Previous studies on convergence education have mainly focused on collaboration between physicians and nurses [17,18], while relatively few have addressed convergence between dental hygiene and dental technology. Moreover, prior studies have reported positive outcomes such as improved teamwork and communication, but have also identified several barriers, including difficulties in scheduling, gaps across curricula, and limited faculty participation [19]. To effectively introduce convergence education and design appropriate curricula, it is necessary to identify students’ perceptions and needs.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions, experiences, perceived necessity, and educational needs regarding convergence education among dental hygiene and dental technology students, thereby providing baseline data for the development of convergence curricula appropriate for the digital dental environment.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
The curricula of dental hygiene and dental technology are currently operated independently, and no formal convergence program has yet been implemented. This study was a cross-sectional survey conducted among a subset of undergraduate students majoring in dental hygiene and dental technology in South Korea. The questionnaire was administered online between 30 September 2024 and 31 October 2024.
2.2. Participants and Data Collection Procedures
A total of 480 undergraduate students majoring in dental hygiene or dental technology who had no prior experience in formal convergence education programs were recruited, as the study sample using convenience sampling. The survey was conducted online (Google Forms), and participation was voluntary. The questionnaire link and QR code were posted on departmental bulletin boards to invite student responses.
2.3. Measurements
The survey instrument was adapted and refined from a research tool previously used in an earlier study [20] to align with the objectives of the present research. The items assessing perceptions and educational needs regarding digital dental convergence education in South Korea were revised by a panel of dental experts consisting of two professors from dental hygiene and two professors from dental technology. To ensure appropriateness for higher education application, the final version was reviewed by an educational technology specialist. To facilitate consistent understanding, a brief definition of digital convergence education was provided at the beginning of the relevant questionnaire sections. The questionnaire consisted of 16 items across four areas: general characteristics, perceptions of convergence education, perceived necessity of convergence education, and educational needs for convergence education.
2.4. Statistical Analysis
The data were analyzed using SPSS software (IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 for Windows). Frequency analysis was conducted to examine general characteristics, and descriptive statistics and frequency analyses were used to examine general characteristics, perceptions of convergence education, perceived necessity, and educational needs regarding digital dentistry convergence education. Differences in perceptions and perceived necessity according to major were tested using the chi-squared test, and the associations between perceptions and necessity were evaluated with Spearman’s correlation analysis. A significance level of p < 0.05 was applied for all statistical tests.
2.5. Ethical Considerations
Ethics approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Dongnam Health University (approval 1044371-202409-HR-006-01). All participants confirmed their consent before completing the questionnaire, and responses without consent were excluded. Information obtained through the survey was used solely for research purposes, and assurances of anonymity and confidentiality were provided. This study is reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.
3. Results
A total of 480 students participated in the survey, and after excluding 14 invalid responses, 464 questionnaires were included in the final analysis. In this section, the results are presented in the following sections: (1) general characteristics of the participants, (2) perceptions and experiences of convergence education, (3) perceived necessity, (4) expected educational effects and preferred courses, (5) educational needs by major, (6) differences in perceptions and perceived necessity, and (7) correlations between perceptions and perceived necessity.
3.1. General Characteristics of the Participants
At our university, the undergraduate degree is obtained through a three-year associate program plus a one-year advanced program, which together lead to the bachelor’s degree. Among the 464 participants, 261 (56.2%) were majoring in dental hygiene and 203 (43.8%) in dental technology. Regarding gender, 77 (16.5%) were male and 387 (83.5%) were female, with females comprising the majority. By academic year, first-year students represented the largest group with 183 (39.3%), followed by 132 (28.6%) in the second year, 118 (25.4%) in the third year, and 31 (6.6%) in the fourth year. In terms of work experience, 22.4% reported having worked in settings such as dental clinics, dental hospitals, university dental hospitals, companies, or dental laboratories, while the remaining 77.6% reported having no work experience (Table 1).
3.2. Perceptions and Experience of Convergence Education
To assess participants’ perceptions of convergence education, when asked, “Have you ever heard of convergence education?” 48.3% responded “yes,” while 28.2% answered “not sure” and 23.5% reported “never.” In response to the question, “Do you know what convergence education is?” the largest proportion (48.3%) answered “do not know at all.” Similarly, for the question, “Do you know the purpose of convergence education?” more than half of the participants (50.4%) responded “do not know at all” (Table 2).
With regard to experience, when asked, “Have you ever taken a convergence education course?” 55.2% answered “no,” 7.5% “yes,” and 37.3% “not sure,” indicating that actual exposure to such courses was very limited. In terms of whether convergence education was included in their current curriculum, 67.2% responded “not sure,” followed by “no” (27.4%) and “yes” (5.4%) (Table 2).
3.3. Perceived Necessity of Convergence Education
To assess the perceived necessity of convergence education, participants were asked, “Do you think convergence education is necessary in the dental hygiene and dental technology majors?” A total of 37.7% responded “necessary” and 8.0% responded “very necessary,” accounting for 45.7% of all respondents. When including those who answered “moderate” (44.4%), 90.1% of the participants recognized the necessity of convergence education (Table 3).
3.4. Expected Educational Effects and Preferred Courses of Convergence Education
Regarding the expected educational effects of convergence education, the most frequently reported response was “improvement of job-related knowledge,” cited by 263 students (56.7%). This was followed by “enhancement of employment competence” (18.5%), “experience with new academic fields” (16.4%), and “improvement of creative convergence skills” (6.7%). With respect to the preferred courses of convergence education if offered, the majority selected “major elective” (52.2%), followed by “general education course” (25.0%), “major requirement” (14.4%), and “non-curricular program” (5.6%) (Table 4).
3.5. Educational Needs for Convergence Education by Major
Among dental hygiene students, the most frequently desired field for convergence was dental technology (57.1%), followed by radiological science (31.8%), nursing (24.1%), and emergency medical technology (8.4%). In contrast, dental technology students most frequently selected dental hygiene (80.6%), followed by radiological science (11.4%), nursing (11.9%), and emergency medical technology (6.0%). With regard to preferred courses for convergence education, dental hygiene students most frequently indicated clinical dental hygiene-related courses (74.7%), while dental technology students most frequently indicated basic dental technology-related courses (69.7%). When asked about preferred occupational competencies for convergence education using multiple responses, dental hygiene students most frequently selected personalized oral health care (46.7%), whereas dental technology students most frequently selected esthetic prosthesis fabrication (58.2%) (Table 5).
3.6. Differences in Perceptions and Perceived Necessity of Convergence Education by Major
The analysis of differences in perceptions and perceived necessity of convergence education by major is presented in Table 6. Perceptions of convergence education showed a statistically significant difference between majors (p = 0.008). Among dental hygiene students, the most frequent response was “heard once or twice” (46.4%), whereas among dental technology students, the proportion reporting “never heard of it” was relatively higher (30.5%) (Table 6).
In contrast, no statistically significant differences were found between the two majors regarding perceptions of convergence education (p = 0.415), perceptions of its purpose (p = 0.687), perceived necessity of convergence education (p = 0.137), or expected educational effects of convergence education (p = 0.981). In both groups, the majority responded “moderate” or “necessary,” and for expected educational effects, “improvement of job-related knowledge” was the most frequently selected (57.6% for dental technology students and 55.9% for dental hygiene students) (Table 6).
Preferred course formats for convergence education showed a statistically significant difference by major (p = 0.026). Dental technology students most frequently preferred “major elective” courses (55.2%), while dental hygiene students were distributed across “major elective” (49.8%) and “general education” (29.5%). In addition, the proportion preferring “major requirement” courses was higher among dental technology students (18.7%) than dental hygiene students (11.1%) (Table 6).
3.7. Correlations Between Perceptions and Perceived Necessity of Convergence Education
The analysis of the relationship between perceptions and perceived necessity of convergence education showed that having heard of convergence education was significantly correlated with perceptions of convergence education (r = 0.622, p < 0.01), perceptions of its purpose (r = 0.582, p < 0.01), and perceived necessity of convergence education (r = 0.213, p < 0.01) (Table 7).
Perceptions of convergence education demonstrated a very strong positive correlation with perceptions of its purpose (r = 0.856, p < 0.01) and also showed a significant positive correlation with perceived necessity (r = 0.236, p < 0.01). Similarly, perceptions of the purpose of convergence education were significantly correlated with perceived necessity (r = 0.264, p < 0.01).
4. Discussion
This study revealed that although dental hygiene and dental technology students had very limited direct experiences with convergence education, the majority perceived it as necessary and expressed strong preferences for convergence with the counterpart major. Both groups expected improvements in job-related knowledge and strengthening of practical competencies through convergence education. These findings are consistent with previous studies reporting that dental and dental hygiene students recognized the benefits of interprofessional education for enhancing clinical outcomes and teamwork, despite limited opportunities for participation [2,6,21]. Our results also indicated a considerable gap between perceptions and actual experiences of convergence education, similar to earlier research, where students acknowledged the value of IPE, but reported minimal real exposure [21]. This discrepancy suggests that structural limitations within the current curriculum and lack of information may hinder access to convergence education. Addressing this gap requires systematic opportunities embedded in the curriculum and clearer guidance for students. Insufficient exposure may not only reflect a lack of opportunities but also reduce the chance to practice collaboration in real situations, potentially affecting teamwork skills in clinical practice and ultimately the quality of patient care [2]. Furthermore, previous reports indicated that sustained interprofessional education experiences within the formal curriculum can more effectively improve collaborative attitudes compared with short-term workshops or single-session interventions [6,22,23]. Therefore, structured and repeated learning experiences throughout undergraduate education are needed to foster practical collaborative competencies and confidence in teamwork.
When comparing preferences to major, dental hygiene students most frequently selected convergence with dental technology, while dental technology students most frequently selected convergence with dental hygiene. This preference highlights their recognition of each other as essential collaborators in dentistry, rather than prioritizing convergence with other health-related majors. However, the preferred subjects differed: dental hygiene students preferred convergence in clinical dental hygiene courses closely related to patient care, whereas dental technology students preferred basic dental technology courses rather than courses directly linked to prosthesis fabrication or clinical procedures. These differences suggest discipline-specific needs for IPE and highlight the importance of supplementing integrated convergence curricula with tailored modules that reflect each major’s professional focus [24,25,26]. International comparisons of dental curricula also demonstrate substantial variation in IPE experiences across countries [27,28,29]. Therefore, designing convergence education should include both integrated modules and major-specific components to enhance mutual understanding and collaborative learning.
Despite the increasing importance of digital technologies in dentistry (e.g., CAD/CAM, 3D printing, intraoral scanners) [30,31,32], students reported limited exposure to convergence education that incorporated these technologies [33]. Previous studies on IPE in digital dental technology demonstrated improvements in communication, role clarification, and innovative thinking among students [10,34,35]. In health professional education more broadly, digital competence has been recognized as a key factor in enhancing teamwork and efficiency in modern practice [36,37,38]. Accordingly, convergence education programs should be practice-oriented and designed around digital competencies. Although perceptions of convergence education were relatively low and experiences limited in our sample, over 90% of students acknowledged its necessity. Compared with traditional single-discipline education, digital convergence education offers advantages such as enhancing the realism of practice, strengthening teamwork, and promoting innovative problem-solving. However, it also has drawbacks, including the high cost of equipment, insufficient faculty expertise, and the risk of curriculum overload. Finding a balance between these aspects is essential for designing sustainable convergence education [30,37]. Incorporating digital dentistry into learner-centered curricula may encourage active student participation and improve their capacity to respond to challenges that arise in digital clinical environments. Moreover, collaborative learning experiences may help students develop practical strategies for interprofessional teamwork [39], while practice-based digital education can enhance objective outcome assessment through data-driven feedback systems [40].
The survey results also showed that students preferred convergence education to be offered as elective major courses, structured to balance theoretical and practical learning. This finding highlights the importance of incorporating student-centered applied learning activities and case-based approaches into convergence curricula. Prior research has shown that such approaches improve students’ collaborative attitudes and foster more positive perceptions of IPE [41,42,43,44]. Therefore, convergence education for dental hygiene and dental technology students should include comprehensive theoretical instruction along with participatory, practice-based modules.
Finally, our study identified significant differences by major in experiences of hearing about convergence education, preferred curriculum formats, and desired subject areas. Similar to prior research showing that interprofessional perceptions improve with greater collaborative experience [9,45], these findings underscore the need for convergence curricula that clarify roles, promote continuous interprofessional interaction, and strengthen the foundation for collaboration between majors. Although many studies focus broadly on interprofessional education, they remain relevant because convergence education inherently requires interprofessional collaboration. Importantly, our study contextualizes these insights within the specific framework of digital dentistry, an area that has not been sufficiently addressed in prior IPE research [33].
However, this study has several limitations. First, the single-institution convenience sample limits the generalizability of the findings. Second, the self-reported nature of the questionnaire may have introduced response bias. Therefore, future research should incorporate multi-institutional and longitudinal designs to enhance validity and provide a more comprehensive understanding of digital dentistry-based convergence education.
5. Conclusions
This study investigated perceptions, experiences, perceived necessity, and educational needs regarding convergence education among dental hygiene and dental technology students in South Korea. Although students’ direct experiences with convergence education were limited, the majority strongly recognized its necessity and expressed clear preferences for convergence with the counterpart major. Students particularly emphasized the importance of applying convergence education to clinical and basic courses, with expectations of improving job-related knowledge and practical competencies.
These results suggest that digital dentistry–based convergence education can be an effective strategy to enhance interprofessional understanding and collaborative skills. The findings also highlight the need to develop learner-centered curricula that incorporate both integrated convergence modules and major-specific tailored components. Importantly, this study not only confirmed the necessity of convergence education but also explicitly addressed the digital dimension, which has often been overlooked in previous research, thereby helping to fill a critical gap in the literature. Future research should empirically validate the effectiveness of convergence education and support its integration into formal curricula as a sustainable educational model.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, M.-K.J. and Y.L.; methodology, J.-W.K. and M.-K.J.; software, M.-K.J.; validation, Y.L.; formal analysis, Y.L.; investigation, M.-K.J.; data curation, J.-W.K. and Y.L.; writing—original draft preparation, J.-W.K. and Y.L.; writing—review and editing, M.-K.J. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Dongnam Health University (approval 1044371-202409-HR-006-01, 23 September 2025).
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author due to ethical and privacy restrictions.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Abbreviations
The following abbreviations are used in this manuscript.
| IPE | interprofessional education |
| STROBE | Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology |
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Table 1.
General characteristics of dental hygiene and dental technology students (n = 464).
| Variable | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Major | ||
| Dental hygiene | 261 | 56.2 |
| Dental technology | 203 | 43.8 |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 77 | 16.5 |
| Female | 387 | 83.5 |
| Grade | ||
| 1st year | 183 | 39.3 |
| 2nd year | 132 | 28.6 |
| 3rd year | 118 | 25.4 |
| 4th year | 31 | 6.6 |
| Workplace | ||
| Dental clinic | 52 | 11.1 |
| Dental hospital | 10 | 2.1 |
| Dental university hospital | 5 | 1.1 |
| Dental company | 2 | 0.4 |
| Dental laboratory | 36 | 7.7 |
| Students | 359 | 77.6 |
Table 2.
Perceptions and experience of convergence education (n = 464).
| Variable | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Heard of convergence education | ||
| Not sure | 131 | 28.2 |
| Never | 109 | 23.5 |
| Heard once or twice | 193 | 41.6 |
| Heard frequently | 31 | 6.7 |
| Perception of convergence education | ||
| Do not know at all | 224 | 48.3 |
| Know a little | 90 | 19.4 |
| Moderate | 118 | 25.4 |
| Know well | 27 | 5.8 |
| Know very well | 5 | 1.1 |
| Perception of the purpose of convergence education | ||
| Do not know at all | 234 | 50.4 |
| Know a little | 78 | 16.8 |
| Moderate | 119 | 25.6 |
| Know well | 28 | 6.0 |
| Know very well | 5 | 1.1 |
| Experience of taking convergence education courses | ||
| No | 256 | 55.2 |
| Yes | 35 | 7.5 |
| Not sure | 173 | 37.3 |
| Existence of convergence education in current curriculum | ||
| No | 127 | 27.4 |
| Yes | 25 | 5.4 |
| Not sure | 312 | 67.2 |
Table 3.
Perceived necessity of convergence education (n = 464).
| Variable | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived necessity of convergence education | ||
| Not necessary at all | 9 | 1.9 |
| Not necessary | 37 | 8.0 |
| Moderate | 206 | 44.4 |
| Necessary | 175 | 37.7 |
| Very necessary | 37 | 8.0 |
Table 4.
Expected effects and preferred courses of convergence education (n = 464).
| Variable | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Expected educational effects of convergence education | ||
| Improvement of job-related knowledge | 263 | 56.7 |
| Enhancement of employment competence | 86 | 18.5 |
| Experience with new academic fields | 76 | 16.4 |
| Improvement of creative convergence skills | 31 | 6.7 |
| Other | 8 | 1.7 |
| Preferred course if convergence education is offered | ||
| Major requirement | 67 | 14.4 |
| Major elective | 242 | 52.2 |
| General education course | 116 | 25.0 |
| Non-curricular program | 26 | 5.6 |
| Other | 13 | 2.8 |
Table 5.
Educational needs for convergence education by major (n = 464).
| Variable | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Major of dental hygiene | ||
| Preferred departments for convergence education | ||
| Dental technology | 149 | 57.1 |
| Radiological technology | 83 | 31.8 |
| Nursing | 63 | 24.1 |
| Emergency medical technology | 22 | 8.4 |
| Physical therapy | 18 | 6.9 |
| Occupational therapy | 2 | 0.8 |
| Preferred courses for convergence education | ||
| Clinical dental hygiene courses (e.g., prosthodontics, dental materials, clinical practice) | 195 | 74.7 |
| Basic dental hygiene courses (e.g., oral anatomy, oral histology, oral physiology, oral pathology) | 78 | 29.9 |
| Educational dental hygiene courses (e.g., dental health education, practicum) | 37 | 14.2 |
| Social dental hygiene courses (e.g., community dentistry, dental public health statistics) | 28 | 10.7 |
| Preferred occupational competencies (multiple responses allowed) | ||
| Personalized oral health care | 122 | 46.7 |
| Dental clinical assistance | 110 | 42.1 |
| Patient counseling and education | 108 | 41.4 |
| Dental practice management | 74 | 28.4 |
| Oral disease prevention and management | 72 | 27.6 |
| Major of dental technology | ||
| Preferred departments for convergence education | ||
| Dental hygiene | 162 | 80.6 |
| Radiological technology | 23 | 11.4 |
| Nursing | 24 | 11.9 |
| Emergency medical technology | 12 | 6.0 |
| Physical therapy | 10 | 5.0 |
| Occupational therapy | 5 | 2.5 |
| Preferred courses for convergence education | ||
| Basic dental technology courses (e.g., oral anatomy, tooth morphology, laboratory practice) | 140 | 69.7 |
| Dental implant technology and practicum | 80 | 39.8 |
| Fixed partial denture technology and practicum | 41 | 20.4 |
| Removable partial denture technology and practicum | 37 | 18.4 |
| Complete denture technology and practicum | 37 | 18.4 |
| Orthodontic appliance technology and practicum | 32 | 15.9 |
| Dental ceramic technology and practicum | 22 | 10.9 |
| Preferred occupational competencies (multiple responses allowed) | ||
| Esthetic prosthesis fabrication | 117 | 58.2 |
| Fixed prosthesis fabrication | 108 | 53.7 |
| Removable prosthesis fabrication | 94 | 46.8 |
| Orthodontic appliance fabrication | 77 | 38.3 |
Table 6.
Differences in perceptions and perceived necessity of convergence education by major (n = 464).
Table 6.
Differences in perceptions and perceived necessity of convergence education by major (n = 464).
| Variable | Dental Technology (N = 203) N (%) | Dental Hygiene (N = 261) N (%) | p * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heard of convergence education | 0.008 | ||
| Not sure | 58 (28.6%) | 73 (28.0%) | |
| Never | 62 (30.5%) | 47 (18.0%) | |
| Heard once or twice | 72 (35.5%) | 121 (46.4%) | |
| Heard frequently | 11 (5.4%) | 20 (7.7%) | |
| Perception of convergence education | 0.415 | ||
| Do not know at all | 102 (50.2%) | 122 (46.7%) | |
| Know a little | 41 (20.2%) | 49 (18.8%) | |
| Moderate | 51 (25.1%) | 67 (25.7%) | |
| Know well | 7 (3.4%) | 20 (7.7%) | |
| Know very well | 2 (1.0%) | 3 (1.1%) | |
| Perception of the purpose of convergence education | 0.687 | ||
| Do not know at all | 104 (51.2%) | 130 (49.8%) | |
| Know a little | 37 (18.2%) | 41 (15.7%) | |
| Moderate | 48 (23.6%) | 71 (27.2%) | |
| Know well | 13 (6.4%) | 15 (5.7%) | |
| Know very well | 1 (0.5%) | 4 (1.5%) | |
| Perceived necessity of convergence education | 0.137 | ||
| Not necessary at all | 3 (1.5%) | 6 (2.3%) | |
| Not necessary | 10 (4.9%) | 27 (10.3%) | |
| Moderate | 88 (43.3%) | 118 (45.2%) | |
| Necessary | 82 (40.4%) | 93 (35.6%) | |
| Very necessary | 20 (9.9%) | 17 (6.5%) | |
| Expected educational effects of convergence education | 0.981 | ||
| Improvement of job-related knowledge | 117 (57.6%) | 146 (55.9%) | |
| Enhancement of employment competence | 36 (17.7%) | 50 (19.2%) | |
| Experience with new academic fields | 32 (15.8%) | 44 (16.9%) | |
| Improvement of creative convergence skills | 14 (6.9%) | 17 (6.5%) | |
| Other | 4 (2.0%) | 4 (1.5%) | |
| Preferred course if convergence education is offered | 0.026 | ||
| Major requirement | 38 (18.7%) | 29 (11.1%) | |
| Major elective | 112 (55.2%) | 130 (49.8%) | |
| General education course | 39 (19.2%) | 77 (29.5%) | |
| Non-curricular program | 9 (4.4%) | 17 (6.5%) | |
| Other | 5 (2.5%) | 8 (3.1%) |
* By chi-squared test.
Table 7.
Correlations between perceptions and perceived necessity of convergence education.
| Variable | Heard of Convergence Education | Perceptions of Convergence Education | Perception of the Purpose of Convergence Education | Perceived Necessity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heard of convergence education | 1 | |||
| Perceptions of convergence education | 0.622 ** | 1 | ||
| Perception of the purpose of convergence education | 0.582 ** | 0.856 ** | 1 | |
| Perceived necessity | 213 ** | 0.236 ** | 264 ** | 1 |
** p < 0.01 by Spearman’s rank correlation analysis.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Lee, Y.; Kim, J.-W.; Jun, M.-K. Perceptions of and Educational Need for Digital Dentistry Convergence Education Among Dental Hygiene and Dental Technology Students in South Korea. Digital 2025, 5, 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5040055
AMA Style
Lee Y, Kim J-W, Jun M-K. Perceptions of and Educational Need for Digital Dentistry Convergence Education Among Dental Hygiene and Dental Technology Students in South Korea. Digital. 2025; 5(4):55. https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5040055
Chicago/Turabian StyleLee, Yoomee, Jong-Woo Kim, and Mi-Kyoung Jun. 2025. "Perceptions of and Educational Need for Digital Dentistry Convergence Education Among Dental Hygiene and Dental Technology Students in South Korea" Digital 5, no. 4: 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5040055
APA StyleLee, Y., Kim, J.-W., & Jun, M.-K. (2025). Perceptions of and Educational Need for Digital Dentistry Convergence Education Among Dental Hygiene and Dental Technology Students in South Korea. Digital, 5(4), 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5040055
