Swedish dentists' perceptions of their patients

Swedish dentists' perceptions of patient behavior problems, levels of stress experienced by the dentists in relation to such behavior, and general problem areas in their occupational situation were investigated by means of a self-administered questionnaire mailed to a sample of 485 Swedish dentists. The questionnaire assessed 16 different patient behavior problems and an additional number of other occupationally related problem areas. A total of 342 replies (71.4%) were analyzed. The relationship between the occurrence of behavior problems and the resulting level of stress was inversely proportional. This implies that Swedish dentists feel confident in dealing with behavior problems in their patients. Furthermore, this study shows that most dentists (93%) feel positive about their work and believe that their work is highly appreciated by their patients (96%) and colleagues (84%).