Self-perceived Mental Health and Job Satisfaction among Lithuanian Dentists

Abstract

The aim of this study was to document dentists' self-perceived mental health complaints and job satisfaction, and to assess any correlations between the two. A postal questionnaire survey was mailed to all (N=2,449) licensed dentists registered with the Lithuanian Dental Association. The questionnaire investigated dentists' mental health and job satisfaction during the previous year (overall response rate: 68.2%). The majority of respondents (80.7%) reported being satisfied with their job. Self-perceived lack of self-esteem (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.43-0.82), loneliness (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.53-0.98), and especially depression (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.35-0.77) had a high negative impact on dentists' job satisfaction. Nervousness (89.2%) and burnout (83.6%) were the most prevalent mental complaints and they also tended to be the most chronic of all reported mental disorders. Increasing age significantly reduced the possibility of nervousness or depression and increased the possibility of being satisfied with dental practice. Increasing working hours increased the risk of burnout, anxiety and loneliness. Overall, this study suggests that the majority of Lithuanian dentists are satisfied with their job and also enjoy their professional lives. However, a considerable proportion still reported impairment of mental health which influenced their levels of job satisfaction.

Self-Reported Occupational Health Issues among Lithuanian Dentists

“…Many studies in other countries [13][14][15][16][17] show the derangement of physical health and wellbeing of dental specialists. A previous study in Lithuania 7) also showed that substantial numbers of Lithuanian dentists suffered from mental impairments.…”

“…Their mean work experience was 22.41 yr and the mean working time was 38.23 h per week. Further demographic details are described elsewhere 7) .…”

“…This paper describes the second part of a large investigation of Lithuanian dentists' health, the details of which have been published elsewhere 7) . Briefly, our study involved a postal questionnaire survey of dentists working in various Lithuanian regions in both public and private dental institutions, and was part of a large study approved by Lithuanian Bioethical Committee (No.59).…”

Quality of Life of Academic Dentists’ Families; a Cross-Sectional Survey

“…[9] Also, with increasing age, the prevalence of mental complaints such as anxiety, sleeplessness, feeling of loneliness. [10] and musculoskeletal physical complaints [11] tend to increase.…”

Assistance For Dentists In Lithuania

“…Because of long working hours dentists have less time for themselves and tend to spend less time with their family. The research which investigated mental health and job satisfaction of Lithuanian dentists showed that about thirty percent of dentists are dissatisfied with personal time and time for their family they have [15]. Taking into an account the prevalence of physical, psychological occupational disorders and high volume workload in dentistry every effort should be made to make clinical practice more efficient and safe.…”