Burnout among Dental Professionals
Before and During a Public Health Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Next Steps
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of oral health providers said their feelings of burnout had increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new visual report from CareQuest Institute. A survey of nearly 400 dental providers found that increased burnout did not affect all dental providers equally, with differences by gender, age, race, and ethnicity. The report includes resources to help overcome burnout and details frequent causes of stress for dental professionals, like maintaining an on-time schedule, treating “challenging” patients, managing staff relations, worrying about potential errors and litigation, and dealing with physical pain.
To learn more about the effect of the pandemic on burnout, CareQuest Institute conducted a survey of 377 dental providers in March 2021. In general, oral health providers reported increases in burnout during the beginning of the pandemic. However, this sense of increased burnout did not impact all dental providers equally, with differences by gender, age, race, and ethnicity emerging. Key findings include:
Frequent feelings of burnout were reported most by the youngest group of providers (71% for providers aged 18–34 compared to 46% for providers aged 55 and over).
Two-thirds (66%) of female providers reported frequent feelings of burnout compared with half (50%) of male providers.
Oral health providers identifying as Hispanic were more likely (73%) to report burnout symptoms due to work compared with individuals identifying as white (63%), Asian/American Indian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (55%), or Black (35%).
Oral health providers in rural areas experienced frequent burnout at higher rates (72%) than providers in suburban/urban areas (56%).
Professional burnout can lead to physical and psychological distress and is associated with higher rates of suicide among health care workers. The visual report also includes resources to help dental professionals overcome burnout.
