Comparative Analysis of Culture and Oral Healthcare in Slovakia

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the cultural dimensions influencing oral health, focusing on a comparative study between Slovakia, Australia, and China. It begins with an introduction to the student's background and the context of the placement in Slovakia. The report then delves into Hofstede's six dimensions of culture (Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Indulgence, and Long-Term Orientation), explaining their relevance and application. The student's personal cultural experiences are discussed, highlighting the alignment with Australian and Chinese cultural scores. A comparative analysis of the institutional environments of La Trobe University and the University of Presov is presented, examining the similarities and differences in oral health programs. The report also explores the unique and common aspects of the dental profession and professional settings in the three countries, including healthcare systems, insurance coverage, and oral health status. The report concludes by emphasizing the dynamic nature of culture and its significant impact on healthcare practices and outcomes, using at least 10 reliable references from peer-reviewed journals.

Running head: HEALTHCARE
Healthcare
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HEALTHCARE
Introduction
With the enhancement in technology, the demand for workforce in different fields of
health care including the professionals associated with dental healthcare is increasing. By birth, I
am Chinese. I moved to Australia since I was 15 . Therefore I have grown up in a mixed cultural
background. Currently, I have been given a placement at Slovakia for an oral health course. In
this report, a detailed explanation of the six dimensions of culture according to Hofstede’s Model
will be done. Additionally, a detailed comparison of three different cultures among Australia,
China and Slovakia will be conducted using the country-comparison tool along with its
characteristics and expectations. The similarities, as well as differences between La Trobe
University and University of Presov in educational context and scope of practice, will be
described. Along with this, unique as well as common aspects of the profession and professional
setting will also be discussed.
The dimensions of culture
According to Hofstede, the term culture can be defined as the collective programming of
the mind that possesses the potential to distinguish members of one category or group of
individuals from another. There exist 6 dimensions of national culture, according to the cultural
model of Hofstede. This includes Power and Distance Index (PDI), Masculinity versus Femineity
(MAS), Individualism versus collectivism (IDV), Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), Indolence
versus Restraint (IND) and Long Term Orientation versus Short Term Normative Orientation
(LTO) (1). The first dimension represents the degree to which a less powerful member of
organizations within a country expects as well as accepts that power has been distributed in an
unequal way (2). The second dimension that is IDV refers to the degree of independence a

2HEALTHCARE
society maintains amongst its members. The third dimension that is MAS represents the degree
to which an individual tends to aim for tough barriers like success and competition or prefer
tender components such as caring and modesty. The LTO dimension represents the degree to
which the society desires to progress forward even by risking the reformation of their own
traditions. Finally, when it comes to the IND dimension, it indicates the degree to which society
is allowing an individual to enjoy life compared to other countries.
My expectations and characteristics
I was born and raised in China for 15 years before migrating to Australia. Considering the
fact that Australia has become my second home town, I have grown up in a mixture of two
cultures, one from the western part of the word and another from the western part and thus
possess unique experience. Over time, I have realized that it is a lifelong experience since the
culture of a society constantly keeps evolving over time. In spite of the fact that I feel to be a
society member, my experiences and observation help me to understand the similarities as well
as dissimilarities between two cultures along with absorbing good components of both the
culture. The country-comparison tool that has been created by the Hofstede Insights was
employed to compare cultures between two countries of mine as well as my placement location
which is in Slovakia (4).

3HEALTHCARE
When it comes to power distance, I believe my characteristics align more with the
Australian score. Unlike China and Slovakia, in Australia, hierarchy is established for
convenience, employees are respected and superiors are always approachable. Employees are
encouraged by the managers to share their thoughts and ideas for the betterment of the
organization. when it comes to individualism, my characteristic depends on specific scenarios as
well as circumstances. Since the majority of my teenage and adulthood has been spent in
Australia, I respect individualism and the concept of self awareness, self help as well as privacy
associated with it (5). However, I believe that while working in an organization, teamwork is
highly crucial since employees need to take the responsibility of their tea members along with
their worn. When it comes to masculinity, I am more accustomed to the workplace culture of
Australia. Masculinity represents that a person’s central values are success and honor. While in
both Australia and China, masculinity matters to a great extent, in Slovakia it matters the most.
When it comes to long term orientation, my personality traits are inclined more towards my

4HEALTHCARE
country of origin that is china. I prefer to maintain a time honored traditions as well as norms.
However, I also prefer to welcome new changes that are beneficial for the society. Finally, when
it comes to indulgence, I like to maintain the work-life balance.
The common and divergent aspects of the institutional environments
There exist a good number of common as well as divergent aspects associated with the
institutional environment between La Trobe University and the University of Presov. the
university of Presov ranks 8th when it comes to studying dental health. In both the universities
the oral health course is for 3 years. Not only this, the aim of both the college is similar to the
role of dental hygienists that includes health promotion, diagnosis, and periodontal maintenance
and treatment. However, some minor differences in the course of study can be evident. For
instance, in the La Trobe University, beside dentists other professional courses are available that
includes oral health therapist, dental therapist as well as a dental hygienist (3). However, when it
comes to the University of Presov, the only professional oral health course available apart from
the dentist course includes the mental hygiene course. Apart from this, the syllabuses of the
courses are almost the same in both the universities (2). However, while La Trobe universities
bachelor of oral health science focuses on intra professional education, the management of
Presov University focuses specifically on the two courses associated with dental hygiene.
According to the researchers, the scope of practice of dental hygienists in Slovakia is
increasing with time. Considering the fact that oral hygiene has become a major concern for the
government due to the increasing number of oral hygiene issues amongst the residents of the
nation, the healthcare homes are welcoming oral health practitioners in order to enhance and
strengthen the workforce. At the same time, they put a stronger emphasis on educating the

5HEALTHCARE
legislation in order to ensure that the graduate clinicians are clear about their scope of practice
and when to make a referral (7).
The unique and common aspects of the profession and professional setting
Like Australia, Slokovakia also possesses the potential to provide huge opportunities for
oral health care services like dentists. However, if compared to the scope of a variety of
professions associated with oral health care, in Slovakia, only two types of oral professions are a
practice that includes dentists and dental hygienists (6). The concept of an oral health therapist is
not there in the nation. Currently, the health insurance companies in Slovakia do not provide any
health insurance associated with the same. in spite of the act that the importance of oral hygiene
is increasing in the nation due to the enhanced number of oral issues faced by the residents, no
specific oral insurance has been offered to the same by the government.
In contrary, a good number of dental insurance in Australia is covered by a good number
of health insurance organizations. Children from 2 to 17 years under Child Dental Benefits
schedule have been provided with 1000 dollars for dental treatments from Medicare which
includes regular checkups as well as other necessary treatments. According to researchers, there
exists an effective relationship between the economic status between a nation and its oral health
condition. The literacy rate of Slovakia is as high as 99.6 percent (7). However, the country is the
second poorest amongst Euro zone. access to healthcare service is limited and dentists prefer to
work in urban areas. It is highly crucial for neighbors of the nation like Czechia, Poland, Austria
and Ukraine to enhance the economic condition of the nation implementing different strategies.
Summary

6HEALTHCARE
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that culture is a dynamic and complex
aspect is changing on a constant basis. The culture of the three nations that is China, Australia,
Slovakia has been compared by using 6 dimensions power distance, individualism, masculinity,
uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation, and indulgence. Having a bicultural identity, my
characteristic displayed alignment with both Australian and Chinese scores in six dimensions.

7HEALTHCARE
Reference List
1. Beugelsdijk S, Kostova T, Roth K. An overview of Hofstede-inspired country-level
culture research in international business since 2006. Journal of International Business
Studies. 2017 Jan 1;48(1):30-47.
2. Beugelsdijk S, Welzel C. Dimensions and dynamics of national culture: Synthesizing
Hofstede with Inglehart. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2018 Nov;49(10):1469-
505.
3. Karolyi GA. The gravity of culture for finance. Journal of Corporate Finance. 2016 Dec
1;41:610-25.
4. Larsson A, Sabolová D. 7 Digital dentistry. Digital Transformation and Public Services.
2019 Oct 8:117.
5. Maakip I, Keegel T, Oakman J. Predictors of musculoskeletal discomfort: A cross-
cultural comparison between Malaysian and Australian office workers. Applied
ergonomics. 2017 Apr 1;60:52-7.
6. Timková S, Kolarčik P, Gecková AM. Self-Reported Oral Health Related Behaviour and
Gum Bleeding of Adolescents in Slovakia in Relation to Socioeconomic Status of Their
Parents: Cross-Sectional Study Based on Representative Data Collection. International
journal of environmental research and public health. 2019 Jan;16(14):2484.
7. Wang T. Religion-based cultural identity and conflicts of migrant Muslim students in
Northwest China. Race Ethnicity and Education. 2018 Nov 2;21(6):858-75.
8. Yang E, Burger J, Peters M, Cruz B, Steinberg H. Customer Service Management &
Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions In Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, Norway,
And The Usa. InAllied Academies International Conference. Academy of Organizational

8HEALTHCARE
Culture, Communications and Conflict. Proceedings 2016 (Vol. 21, No. 1, p. 62). Jordan
Whitney Enterprises, Inc.

9HEALTHCARE