The Reality and Direction of Korean Dental Hygiene Education in the Super‐Aged Society

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to analyze the structural features and key issues of dental hygiene education and the national licensing examination in response to a super-aged society. To this end, the current status and challenges of Korea's dental hygiene education system are reviewed, and comparative analyses of corresponding systems in the United States, Canada, and Japan and conducted. METHODS: A descriptive comparative study was conducted using publicly available national demographic statistics, undergraduate dental hygiene curricula, the national dental hygiene licensing examination items, and international accreditation and policy documents. The study comprised four components: analysis of aging trends in South Korea; keyword-based review of 83 institutional curricula for geriatric-related content; item-level content analysis of 1000 national licensing exam questions (2020-2024); and a comparative review of education and licensure systems in the United States, Canada, and Japan. RESULTS: The proportion of adults aged 65 and older in South Korea reached 20.3% by 2024, marking the country's transition into a super-aged society. Among 83 institutions with accessible curricula, 43 (51.8%) included at least one geriatric-related course, with higher rates in 3-year colleges. Out of 1000 exam items, only 11 (1.1%) addressed geriatric topics. Compared to international models, Korea's educational and the national dental hygiene licensing examination frameworks showed limited integration of geriatric care competencies. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies the current status of dental hygiene education in Korea with particular attention to coursework related to older adults at a time when the country is entering a super-aged society. The findings indicate variations in the completion and organization of geriatric-related courses across institutions, suggesting the need for further discussion on the standardization of dental hygiene education to better reflect future demographic changes.