Levels of Stress among General Practitioners, Students and Specialists In Pediatric Dentistry during Dental Treatment

To assess self-reported stress during the performance of different procedures in pediatric dentistry, according to the professional experience of the dentists. Study design: During the years 2010 to 2011, an anonymous survey was administered by means of an internet link, and by distribution at professional meetings of dentists .Results: No statistically significant differences in stress were reported for maxilla and mandibular procedures. Placement of a rubber dam was rated as the most stressful procedure among dental students. For general practitioners and specialists, injection of local anesthesia to an anxious child was the most stressful procedure, regardless of age, sex, or years of professional experience. A negative correlation was found between years of experience and level of stress for all the procedures surveyed, but not for the use of nitrous oxide. No differences were found between male and female dentists in stress scores for any of the procedures. Conclusion: Higher rates of stress during operative procedures were reported among dental students than among experienced dentists. Anxiety of the pediatric patients, but not the location of the procedure: maxillary or mandibular, affected the dentists’ reported level of stress.

stress, dental students, local anesthesia, rubber dam, maxilla, mandibular, children.

1. Boran A, Shawaheen M, Khader Y, Amarin Z, Hill Rice V. Work-related stress among health professionals in northern Jordan. Occup Med (Lond) 62: 145-7, 2012.

2. Moore R, Brødsgaard I. Dentists’ perceived stress and its relation to perceptions about anxious patients. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol 29: 73-80, 2001.

3. Myers HL, Myers LB. “It’s difficult being a dentist”: stress and health in the general dental practitioner. Br Dent J 24: 197: 89-93, 2004.

4. Divaris K, Polychronopoulou A, Taoufik K, Katsaros C, Eliades T. Stress and burnout in postgraduate dental education. Eur J Dent Educ 16: 35-42, 2012.

5. Simon JF, Peltier B, Chambers D, Dower J. Dentists troubled by the administration of anesthetic injections: long-term stresses and effects. Quintessence Int 25: 641-6, 1994.

6. Ayers KM, Thomson WM, Newton JT, Rich AM. Job stressors of New Zealand dentists and their coping strategies. Occup Med (Lond) 58: 275-81, 2008.

7. Rada RE, Johnson-Leong C. Stress, burnout, anxiety and depression among dentists. J Am Dent Assoc135: 788-94, 2004.

8. Sofola OO, Jeboda SO. Perceived sources of stress in Nigerian dental students. Euro J Dent Educ 10: 20-23, 2006.

9. Morse Z, Dravo U Stress level of dental students at Fiji School of Medicine. Eur J Dent Educ 11: 99-103, 2007.

10. Kumar S, Dagli RJ, Mathur A, Jain M, Prabu D, Kulkarni S. Perceived sources of stress amongst Indian dental students. Eur J Dent Educ 13: 39-45, 2009.

11. AlzahemAM, van der Molen HT,Alaujan AH, Schmidt HG, Zamakhshary MH. Stress amongst dental students: a systematic review. Eur J Dent Educ 15: 8-18, 2011

12. Innes N. Rubber dam use less stressful for children and dentists. Evid Based Dent 13:48, 2012.

13. Ammann P, Kolb A, Lussi A, Seemann R .Influence of rubber dam on objective and subjective parameters of stress during dental treatment of children and adolescents - a randomized controlled clinical pilot study. Int J Paediatr Dent 23: 110-5, 2013.

14. Powers WJ, Brusch WA, Klugman PJ, Mize SA Stress in dentistry: a survey of military dentists. Dent Surv 56:64-8, 1980.

15. Moore CA, Liggett WR. The inferior alveolar block: effect on the dentist’s heart rate. Gen Dent 31: 386-8,1983.

16. Rasmussen JK, Frederiksen JA, Hallonsten AL, Poulsen S. Danish dentists’ knowledge, attitudes and management of procedural dental pain in children: association with demographic characteristics, structural factors, perceived stress during the administration of local analgesia and their tolerance towards pain. Int J Paediatr Dent 15: 159-68, 2005.

17. Gerbert B, Bernzweig J, Bleecker T, Bader J, Miyasaki C. How dentists see themselves, their profession, the public J Am Dent Assoc 123: 72-8, 1992.

18. DiMatteo MR, Shugars DA, Hays RD. Occupational stress, life stress and mental health among dentists. J Occup Org Psychol 66: 153–162, 1993.

19. Kongsved SM, Basnov M, Holm-Chistensen K, Hjollund NH J Med Internet Res 9: E25, 2007.

20. Kaplowitz MD, Hadlock TD, Levine R. A comparison of web and mail survey response rates. Public Opin Quart 2004; 68:94–101.