DentaltownUK August 2017 - 82

students

Tackling Stress and Burnout in Dentistry
by Anish Patel and Balraj Sohal, BDS5 students at King's College London Dental Institute
Undergraduate dentistry is a challenging
degree in relation to its contact time, teaching
and overall commitment. It's well accepted
that dentistry is more demanding and taxing
than most other degrees.
With regular exams and deadlines, it
is easy to become stressed and potentially
experience burnout. After graduation, this
can quickly escalate as young dentists attempt
to adapt to the realms and strains of the real
world. Dentistry is a high-stress occupation;
the nature and isolated working conditions
of dental surgery are likely to be influencing
factors (Table 1).
Because of a combination of interlinking
factors, 'burnout' has become an increasingly
relevant and common phenomenon echoed
among dental professionals.1 It's not surprising
that 8 percent of UK dentists report having
experienced burnout, and 18.5 percent of
dentists have been identified as being at risk
of suffering from burnout.
Burnout is commonly described as having
three elements:
* Increased emotional exhaustion; feeling of fatigue by the stress of work.
* Increased depersonalisation; developing negative and cynical attitudes.
* Reduced levels of personal accomplishment; a decline in one's feelings
of competence and self-achievement.2
Stress is a common contributing factor
to eventual burnout, so it's important to
educate yourself about some of the most
common stress-generating situations reported
by dentists. Those who do so should be more
wary about such situations developing, and
implement effective strategies to tackle the
issues before they become significant factors
affecting daily practice.
High overall stress in a GDP's life has been
associated with increased job dissatisfaction,

82

AUGUST 2017 // dentaltownuk.com

Table 1: The situations which GDPs in the UK reported as the most highly stressful.3

a high percentage of NHS work and long
hours worked per week.3 Unsurprisingly, it's
also been reported that dentists who spent
a greater proportion of their time in NHS
practice showed lower work engagement and
higher levels of burnout.4 This was contrasted
with lower burnout scores and higher work
engagement scores among individuals with
postgraduate qualifications who worked in
larger teams.
One suggestion for this was related to
the fact that specialists reported experiencing lower stressors, and that those with
postgraduate qualifications are more likely
to be involved with a multifaceted career
encompassing teaching and research, which
offers protective benefits against burnout: The

ability to offer a higher level and quality of
care after postgraduate or specialist training
may also offer greater excitement and reward
to the individual.4
The impact of stressors and long-term
burnout can be significant and shouldn't
be overlooked. In addition to likely adverse
effects on quality of care and detrimental
psychological and relationship impacts, more
disastrous long-term effects such as depression
and suicide can also be experienced.5
Because dentists have entered an occupation with a strong reputation as a stressful one
capable of leading to emotional and physical
ill health, it's paramount that they find and
employ sustainable strategies to reduce the
risk of adverse outcomes.4


http://www.dentaltownuk.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK August 2017

Cover
On Dentaltown.com
Editorial with Mike Gow
Meet the Team
Howard Speaks: Drive-Thrus and Dentistry
Endodontic Reboot: Part One
Classified Listings
Brand Advertising
A United Voice
Adhesion in Primary Dentition Restorative Dentistry
Additive Dentistry
Zero Moment of Truth
Through the Keyhole
Message Boards: Re-treats question
Due Diligence—A Vendor's Perspective
Message Boards: Antibiotics after Surgical Extraction
Adding Value to the Patient Experience
Lifestyle
Poll: General Dentistry
CE Update
Students Section
Wishlist
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Cover
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Cover2
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 3
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 4
DentaltownUK August 2017 - On Dentaltown.com
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Editorial with Mike Gow
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 7
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Meet the Team
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 9
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Howard Speaks: Drive-Thrus and Dentistry
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 11
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Endodontic Reboot: Part One
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 13
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 14
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Classified Listings
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 16
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 17
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 18
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 19
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 20
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 21
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 22
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Brand Advertising
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 24
DentaltownUK August 2017 - A United Voice
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Adhesion in Primary Dentition Restorative Dentistry
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 27
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 28
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 29
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 30
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 31
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Additive Dentistry
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 33
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Zero Moment of Truth
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 35
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 36
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Through the Keyhole
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 38
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 39
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 40
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 41
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Message Boards: Re-treats question
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 43
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 44
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 45
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 46
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 47
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 48
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 49
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 50
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 51
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Due Diligence—A Vendor's Perspective
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 53
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 54
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 55
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Message Boards: Antibiotics after Surgical Extraction
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 57
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 58
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 59
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Adding Value to the Patient Experience
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 61
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Lifestyle
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 63
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 64
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 65
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 66
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 67
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 68
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 69
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 70
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 71
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 72
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 73
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Poll: General Dentistry
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 75
DentaltownUK August 2017 - CE Update
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 77
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Students Section
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 79
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 80
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 81
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 82
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 83
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 84
DentaltownUK August 2017 - 85
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DentaltownUK August 2017 - 87
DentaltownUK August 2017 - Cover4
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