Title Younger Members of the Dental Profession are More Likely to have Burnout Syndrome
Clinical Question Is Burnout Syndrome more common in younger or older dental professionals?
Clinical Bottom Line Burnout decreases with age in the dental profession. Maslach Burnout Inventory assesses levels of Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Personal Accomplishment (PA). In these studies, younger professionals had higher levels of EE, DP, and lower levels of PA when compared to the older dental professional.
Best Evidence  
PubMed ID Author / Year Patient Group Study type
(level of evidence)
18205642Brake/2008493 DentistsCross Sectional Study
Key resultsThe following study tests the validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. This inventory will be used throughout this topic to study Burnout Syndrome Amongst Dentists. In this study, two independent samples of dentists were used to examine the structure of the Mashlach Burnout Inventory (MBI). These results were compared with other practicing health professionals. Percent of dentists that were considered at risk for burnout were compared with samples from 1997, 2000, and 2001. Results confirmed that MBI is a legitimate resource for testing burnout in the dental profession and that a three-factor model including EE, DP, and PA, fit data the best. The increased amount of burnout risk found resulted in the conclusion that research on factors related to burnout risk should continue to be studied in the dental profession.
22914975Divaris/201236 Dental Graduate Students & ResidentsCross Sectional Study
Key results36 students at University of Bern, Switzerland, completed a Graduate Dental Environmental Stress (GDES) questionnaire and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Two domains, academic and clinical, were measured using scales of EE, DP, and PA. 17% of students were burnout cases in terms of EE, 36% in terms of reduced PA, and 8% for DP. Stress and burnout increased according to year of study. Specifically, participants 30 years or younger had the most severe cases of burnout and a higher number of burnout cases. In each of these younger cases, the proportion of burnout was twice that of those that were 30 years or older.
20642035Trindade/201086 Workers of Health ProfessionCross Sectional Study
Key resultsThis study used MBI to assess sixteen Family Health Strategy teams from Santa Maria, Brazil. Physicians, nurses, nursing technicians, dentists, and dental assistants made up this pool of workers. A two-part questionnaire was implemented to collect data. One part of the questionnaire collected demographic data and the other part was composed of the MIB. 6.9% of workers were considered to have Burnout Syndrome. This percent was statistically significant in its association with the young variable. Younger professionals obtained the highest scores for EE and DP as well as the lowest scores for PA. This was the only statistically significant variable that was found to have association with the MBI scales of EE, DP, and PA.
18205642Grau/200911,530 Hispanic Americans and Spanish Healthcare ProfessionalsCross Sectional Study
Key resultsThis study used MBI and a questionnaire administered online from December 2006 to September 2007. From this sample size, 264 dentists responded (2.3% of sample). Associations between these two studies were tested using ‘multiple logistic regression.’ Dentists had a prevalence of <6% frequency of burnout when compared to all those who participated in the study. Older age was found to be a variable that protected healthcare professionals from burnout (OR .96).
18544885Puriene/20081670 DentistsCross Sectional Study
Key resultsPostal questionnaire survey mailed to 2,449 licensed dentists registered with Lithuanian Dental Association. 68.2% responded. Burnout at 83.6% along with nervousness were the most highly reported mental complaints that the dentists had. These were also the most chronic of all the reported mental pathologies. Increased age was a protective factor in perceived satisfaction in the dental profession. For each gained year in age, analyses concluded there was a 2% increased possibility of being ‘satisfied or absolutely satisfied’ with dental practice.
Evidence Search maslach+burnout+inventory+dentist
Comments on
The Evidence		 This research provides reliable evidence that increasing age is a protective factor against Burnout Syndrome amongst dentists.
Applicability Now that a link between age and Burnout Syndrome has been established, action must be taken in order to prevent Burnout Syndrome and improve the health of those young people working in the dental profession.
Specialty (Public Health) (General Dentistry) (Dental Hygiene) (Behavioral Science)
Keywords dentist, burnout, Maslach Burnout Inventory, age
ID# 2590
Date of submission 10/11/2013
E-mail sasha.nouri@ucdenver.edu
Author Sasha Nouri
Co-author(s)
Co-author(s) e-mail
Faculty mentor Deise Oliveira, DDS
Faculty mentor e-mail Deise.Oliveira@ucdenver.edu
   
Basic Science Rationale
(Mechanisms that may account for and/or explain the clinical question, i.e. is the answer to the clinical question consistent with basic biological, physical and/or behavioral science principles, laws and research?)
None available
spacer
Comments and Evidence-Based Updates on the CAT
(FOR PRACTICING DENTISTS', FACULTY, RESIDENTS and/or STUDENTS COMMENTS ON PUBLISHED CATs)
None available