Healthcare facilities of any type are very stressful places for those who spend a whole workday there, and dentistry is no exception. The mental well-being of dentists has been researched over the last few decades, revealing the main problems that practitioners face, including anxiety, burnout, depression, etc.
More recent studies have systematized this problem more precisely, such as a paper from a group of Canadian researchers who conducted a survey with different groups of dentists about their mental health to identify the main challenges.
Issues list
Over three hundred dentists and practice owners were surveyed about their personal, professional, and social challenges during the study. According to the results, female doctors more often (50% of respondents) experienced mental health issues than their male colleagues (37%). The survey highlights four common problems in both groups:
- Mental/psychological stressor distress (32% and 22% in women and men relatively)
- Butnout (24% and 15%)
- Anxiety (36% and 16%)
- Depression
Additionally, soma participants reported a variety of other issues, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Causing Factors
Both groups identified similar sources of stress and moral tension at work, and scientists divided them into two groups.
First – work-related causes:
- Work overload
- The stress of running a practice/managing people
- Uncertainty
- Poor relations with colleagues
- Poor relations with patients
Second – Nonwork causes:
- Physical health problems and condition
- Debt/financial situation
- Caring of Children
- Caring for others outside the work
- Time pressure
All healthcare workers, including nurses, dentists, practice owners, and administrators, face the mentioned issues during their careers.
If you are a clinic owner, the most straightforward way to start caring for your and your employees' mental health is to establish psychological consultations in your dental facilities. It will cost you some additional funding, but an educated specialist can track the clinic's staff's mental health, provide helpful mindfulness practice within the work community, and help directly anyone who experiences extraordinary stress and needs immediate support.
Check out our other articles about mental well-being in dentistry:
