Burnout in dentistry and its silent impact. A literature review
Abstract
Background: Burnout syndrome has been increasingly recognized as a significant occupational health concern in healthcare professions. Dentists face unique stressors including close patient contact, precision-demanding procedures, and often isolated working conditions.
Objectives: To systematically review the prevalence of burnout syndrome among dentists internationally and in Spain, and to identify associated risk factors.
Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in four electronic databases for studies published from January 1982 and December 2023. Studies were included if they assessed burnout in dentists using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), had sample sizes ≥ 30 participants, and provided quantitative prevalence data.
Results: A total of nineteen cross-sectional studies (reported in twenty publications) from thirteen countries across four continents were included. Burnout prevalence ranged from 3.4% to 41.4%, with significant geographic and methodological variability. Emotional exhaustion was the most frequently affected dimension (range: 20-61.3%). Interpretation of prevalence estimates is limited by substantial heterogeneity in burnout definitions and MBI cut-off criteria across studies. Key risk factors included high workload, lack of postgraduate training, private practice setting, insufficient organizational support, and female gender in some contexts.
Conclusions: Burnout affects a substantial proportion of dentists worldwide, although reported…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 30 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Understanding the factors influencing fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) damage in African smallholder maize fields and quantifying its impact on yield. A case study in Eastern Zimbabwe
- Alarming situation of emerging H5 and H7 avian influenza and effective control strategies
- Livestock and food security: vulnerability to population growth and climate change
- Atmosphere–ocean oxygen and productivity dynamics during early animal radiations
- Characterization of the global distribution and diversified plasmid reservoirs of the colistin resistance gene mcr-9
- The global seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in pigs: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.