U.K. report focuses on dental practitioner burnout

The U.K.'s National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS) has published a literature review aimed at improving awareness of the reasons dentists may experience performance difficulties.

The paper considers previously published work by academics around the world and concludes that high caseload, health concerns, practice environment, personal crises, and feelings of isolation are among the contributing factors that can lead to poor performance.

"Stress and burnout have long been linked to poor performance among practitioners and are frequently manifested as mental fatigue and low self-esteem," said Janine Brooks, NCAS associate director of dentistry, in a press release. "Dentists often experience sustained high levels of demand on their clinical expertise and, in addition, require strong interpersonal skills with the patients they treat. If they operate alone or within small teams, they may have no one else to turn to. It is therefore of little surprise that these practitioners sometimes suffer from personal health problems such as burnout."

Other contributors to poor performance among dental professionals may include obesity, musculoskeletal problems, and addiction problems, as well as a lack of leadership or team-working skills.

"Dentistry has long been regarded as a highly stressful profession. However, to date there has been a lack of studies which have investigated factors associated with stress and its effect on performance," Brooks said. "This review highlights where those gaps exist and refers to previous studies around this issue. I hope that it will be of use to those considering undertaking research in this important area. Dentists, like the rest of us, are only human and suffer from the same types of problems as the rest of the general population."

NCAS receives between 80 and 100 referrals of dental practitioners each year by healthcare organizations that need advice and support to address performance concerns.