Abstract:
Background and objectives: Dentistry as a profession
can be challenging. From training to practice, dentists
experience multiple stressors including workload, time
pressure, regulatory requirements, interactions with
patients, complaints and the physical demands of daily
work. Despite the stressors of being a dentist, there is
limited data available on the psychological health of
New Zealand practitioners.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of the
psychological health of members of the New Zealand
Dental Association (NZDA), using instruments on burnout,
depression, alcohol use, bullying, job satisfaction, selfcompassion and perceived stress.
Results: Responses were received from 571 (27%) of
NZDA members. About a third of the participants are at
or above the threshold for burnout in the personal and
work domains, and 11.4% of dentists report moderate
to severe symptoms of depression. The results indicate
problematic alcohol use in 21% of respondents.
Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance
of raising awareness of wellbeing in the profession to
enable early implementation of strategies to promote
good psychological health.
