A Study on the Occupational Stress of Trainee Dentists in Post-graduate Dental Education

Abstract

For trainee dentists to focus on clinical training under mentally and physically stable conditions and improve the quality of their work, it is extremely important to provide mental health support and improve the environment by treating trainee dentists as workers. However, very few studies exist regarding occupational stress among trainee dentists. The present study investigated and analyzed occupational stress with the objective of assessing mental health conditions to consider environmental improvements for enhancing mental health among trainee dentists in post-graduate dental education. The questionnaire was administered to dental trainees. It covered potential stress factors; mental and physical reactions to stress and other factors affecting stress responses; stressrelieving factors; and task satisfaction levels.The risk scores in males and females that were obtained using a diagram for the determination of occupational stress(100 for a standard risk)were 111 and 113 for amountcontrol risk, 85 and 74 for risk with support from work fellows, and 94 and 83 for combined health risk, respectively. A significant correlation was found only between the scores for stress responses and stress-relieving factors(p < 0.05). The scores of subjects at high risk for stress responses and stress-relieving factors were significantly different(p < 0.01)from those from subjects at low risk of stress responses and stress-relieving factors. The degrees of stress in the satisfactory task group and the unsatisfactory task group for stress responses (p < 0.001), and for stress-relieving factors (p < 0.01), respectively, showed significant differences. These results suggest that the low combined health risk obtained in trainee dentists indicates that stress possibly from quantitative burdens and insufficient control of tasks is lessened by support from persons the trainees work with, including bosses and colleagues. A correlation was also found between stress responses to tasks and stress-relieving factors as well as an association between degree of task satisfaction and degree of stress. Concrete measures are needed to reduce health risks from quantitative burden and insufficient control of tasks.