The quality of life of the dentist

That elusive concept 'quality of life', which has become a topic of increasing concern in this day among members of the dental profession, has been examined in the light of findings in the behavioral sciences and those of the medical sciences, particularly morbidity and mortality studies. A review of the literature reveals too few studies in the behavioral sciences; and those that do address the problem do so obliquely. Findings from morbidity studies are controvertible. One recent large-scale study of mortality identified no excess mortality from particular causes among United States white male dentists as a group--this included the much often talked about 'excess of suicide'. The position maintained is that the quality of life of the dentist is good relative to other professions or labors in the absence of 'hard' data to the contrary. A plea is made for additional studies in the future and a continued and cooperative association of medical and behavioral scientists to monitor the 'total health' of the profession.