Doctors

Burnout amongst dentists and dental students

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A study exploring burnout in dentists is published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice titled “High prevalence rates of burnout and emotional exhaustion among the dental profession,” written by Kelvin I. Afrashtehfar and  Carlos A. Jurado (26 April 2023, 101886). A another study exploring burnout in dental students is published in the Joural of Dental Education titled “Correlates of burnout in predoctoral dental students in the United States,” written by Alex Joseph et. al (19 April 2023). Studies to date have shown that burnout has become a problem for dentists. Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. It is beleived to occur in response to chronic stress that is unmanaged. In the first study a systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 studies was performed that resulted in 31 used in the quantitative analysis. These studies demonstrated … Read more

Taskforce says teledentistry can help improve global oral health

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An interesting article titled “Taskforce backs the benefits of teledentistry to improve global oral care outcomes” appears in BDJ In Practice in 2023 (volume 36, page 8). The article discusses how a task force that has conveyed has concluded that teledentistry has the ability to give millions more people than currently accross the world access to dental services. Teledentistry has been covered before on this site see for example the posts Cosmetic Dentistry in the Era of COVID-19 and Delivering Dentistry and Counseling to Patients using Telemedicine. The article discusses how the taskforce feels that teledentistry can help to improve education, dental referrals, early detection of disease, treatment planning and treatment viability. Teledentistry can be particulary helpful in areas where there is limited access to dental professionals. The taskforce understands that heping to preventive dental disease is the best option and dental professionals … Read more

High Amount of Suicide Ideation Among Australian Dental Professionals

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An interesting article titled “Factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts by Australian dental practitioners,” appears in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology published on February 22, 2023, and written by Matthew S. Hopcraft and et. al. The article seeks to investigate factors in Australian dental practitioners and their association with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Previously on this site it has been discussed how medical and dental students, dentists, and medical doctors have an increased risk of suicide, see for example the posts Medical School Student Costs in the U.S. are Affecting Mental Health, Designing a Predoctoral Dental Curriculum To Help With Therapy Issues such as Stress Management and Suicide Prevention, and Medical Students Are At Risk For Suicide. In the article the authors mention how health practitioners have higher rates of suicidal ideation and death by suicide and … Read more

The Mental Health Issues Experienced by Health Professional

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An interesting article titled “The pathway from mental health, leaves of absence, and return to work of health professionals: Gender and leadership matter,” appears in Healthcare Management Forum written by Ivy L. Bourgeault and et. al. (June 9, 2022, pp. 1-8). The article discusses the results of four health professional case studies involving nurses, physicians, midwives, and dentists as it pertains to their mental health experiences. In the article the authors sent an online survey was sent to dentists, nurses, doctors, and midwives in Canada between November 2020 and May 2021. The survey asked respondents about mental health, leave of absences, and return to work issues which included items on psychological or mental stress or distress, anxiety, burnout, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, mood disorders, thoughts of suicide, and substance use or dependence. The authors analyzed a total of 1860 survey … Read more

Traveling Oral Surgeon Performs Wisdom Teeth Extractions and Other Procedures for Those in Need

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Rural residents in the U.S. are less likely to have access to specialized dental health care treatments. One New York based oral surgeon decided early on in his career to travel to provide oral surgery for those in need. The oral surgeon was inspired to practice medicine since a trip he took to South Africa when he was younger. When he was there he saw packed waiting rooms and numerous patients holding their mouths in need of dentistry. When the oral surgeon started practing he had an idea, why shoud he be limited to one office when he moves around and open up a business and spread himself around. For over eight years the oral surgeon has traveled to parts of Upstate New York and western Connecticut to work out of other dentist’s offices. Using their equipment the oral surgeon … Read more