Dentaltown November 2013 - (Page 57)

stress management feature prietors, 57.2 percent were very satisfied, while only 35.8 percent of employee dentists reported the same. When looking at responses of somewhat satisfied to unsatisfied, the proportion of dentists changed: 42.9 percent of sole proprietors marked these answers, and an overwhelming 64.2 percent of employee dentists.1 Sleep Respondents who slept less than seven hours a night reported having more than twice as much severe stress levels at work than those getting more than seven hours of sleep (19.5 percent, 8.1 percent respectfully).1 Moderate stress levels were comparable between the two groups with 64.9 and 68.5 percent. Those who perceived their jobs the least stressful was with the group sleeping more than seven hours a night with 23.4 percent claiming light stress versus that of their tired counterparts at 15.6 percent.1,2,6 Of the dentists with moderate/severe stress levels, 21.4 percent of them also had difficulty sleeping or staying asleep.7 Hours Worked per Week There was a correlation between the number of hours dentists worked and their stress levels. Dentists who reported a severe stress level worked on average 39.7 hours per week. Those claiming moderate stress levels worked an average of 36.2 hours per week and light stress was 31.9 hours.1 Feeling of Control Feeling in control of their work environment was an influencer of perceived stressed levels and job satisfaction.1,7 Dentists who felt they usually had control over their work environment were either somewhat satisfied (50.5 percent) or unsatisfied (9.1 percent). Those responding with sometimes or rarely having control had higher perceived stress and lower job satisfaction with 54.4 percent somewhat satisfied and 29.6 percent unsatisfied.7 Question: What are the common stressors dentists experience? Each dentist has his or her own stress triggers depending on the ability to resolve a situation and the number of tools and resources he or she can mobilize to create solutions. Keeping that in mind, there are several stress triggers that were common throughout each of the literary works. Here are the top five in order of stress level.1,7 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 10. 1. Time pressures 2. Patient demands 3. Uncooperative patients (children, fearful, nervous or militant) 4. High levels of concentration and focus 5. Team issues On average, dentists experienced five to seven stress triggers each day.1,5 Those with moderate to severe stress had been affected by their stress to the point it interfered with their usual, daily activities five days a month.1 That is 60 days out of every year dentists are so impacted by their stress they disengage, cancel work days, don't have energy to lead their teams, miss opportunity for case acceptance and further isolate themselves in their offices.5,7 Question: How do dentists cope with their stress? Exercise/Sports As much as 53 percent of dentists said they were almost completely inactive during the day, after work 57 percent get some form of exercise or physical activity.1,2,5 More male (68 percent) than female dentists (51 percent) use exercise and sports as a means of coping with stress.5 Dentists who did exercise were significantly more likely to be owner doctors or sole proprietors with only 15 percent of employee dentists turning to exercise as a means of coping with stress.1 Just over 49 percent believe their level of physical activity is very likely to cause health problems in the future and 58 percent of respondents planned to make a change in their level of exercise over the next 12 months.2 Avoidance The concept of putting your head in the sand or forgetting about work is a common coping method reported by dentists in each of the studies reviewed for this piece. One study found as much as 59 percent of dentists leave the office and forget about the day's events with 60 percent of males and 57 percent of females taking the passive approach.3-5,10 Going so far as to change the work environment (firing staff, moving offices, dismissing patients, etc.), instead of facing stress triggers head on, was a method used by more male dentists (26 percent) than female (16 percent).5 Medicine/Drugs There were similar responses from dentists when reporting on their doctor-prescribed and self-prescribed medications. Slightly over 39 percent say they take over-the-counter anal- George JM, Milone CL, Block MJ, Hollister WG. Stress Management for the Dental Team. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger. 1986. Newton JT, Allen CD, Turner A, Prior J. How to reduce the stress of general dental practice: The need for research into the effectiveness of multifaceted interventions. Br Dent J 2006;200:437-440. Ayers KMS, Thomson WM, Newton JT, Rich AM. Job stressors of New Zealand dentists and their coping strategies. Occupational Medicine 2008. Rada R, Leong C. Stress, burnout, anxiety and depression among dentists. JADA 2004;135:788-793. Edlin R. Avoiding the ill effects of stress. TheYoungDentist.com. 2011. Peterson MR, Burnett CA. The suicide mortality of working physicians and dentists. Occupational Medicine 2008;58:25-29. continued on page 58 dentaltown.com « NOVEMBER 2013 57 http://www.TheYoungDentist.com http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown November 2013

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: Not Getting it Done? Hire a Consultant
Professional Courtesy: Painful Advertising
Continuing Education Update
Second Opinion: The Role of Teamwork in the Third Era of Medicine
Deprogrammed Open Bite Can Help with Veneers
Bruxism Worse with Splint
Corporate Profile: Burbank Dental Laboratory
Product Profile: Eaglesoft 17
Debunking the Social Stigma of Stress
The Personal Side of Stress
In Your Face: Facing the Realities of Stress in Dentistry
When Tragedy Strikes: How to Prepare for and Recover from a Natural Disaster
The Latex Problem: It’s More Complicated Than You Think
Why Dentists Require Specific Exercise
How Much Money Can You Make When You’re Dead?
Denture Stabilizations with Small-diameter Implants
You Should Know: CrownMen
Product Profile: Synergy
Product Profile: NuSmiles ZR
Continuing Education: The New Evolution of Chariside CAD/CAM Technology
Ad Index
In This Issue: Dry Brush Inside Bottom Teeth First
Perio Reports
Dentally Incorrect
101 Ways to Reduce Stress
Achieving Goal Congruency

Dentaltown November 2013