Prevalence of Burnout in Dental Practitioners of Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: People who do “People work” of some kind are prone to burnout. Dentists are subjected to intense interaction with patients on a regular basis. Burnout is considered a serious professional risk in dentistry. So, this study aimed to find out the prevalence of burnout in dental practitioners of Nepal and its association with different demographic and practice-related variables.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess outcomes among dental practitioners registered with the Nepal Dental Association from June to July 2021. All members were sent an online form to be filled out through emails. The questionnaire consisted of demographic and practice-related variables details along with a 16-item Oldenburg Burnout Inventory to assess burnout. Exhaustion and disengagement were the two components that were assessed with the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v 11.5 was used for data analysis. Mean, standard deviation, percentage were calculated and chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were employed for inferential analysis.

Results: A total of 155 dental practitioners were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 32.44 years (SD: 5.20). The prevalence of burnout was found to be 69.7%. The number of practitioners with low exhaustion and low disengagement was 18 (11.6%) only. Burnout was more common among younger (p=0.043) and unmarried (p=0.017) participants.

Conclusions: A big proportion of dental practitioners reported burnout. Further research is warranted to identify the stressors causing burnout. Concerned authorities should take note of this phenomenon and work towards reducing it