Happiness among dentists: a multi-scale, multi-national study from 21 countries

Area of Science:

• Dental professional well-being
• Global health psychology
• Occupational satisfaction studies

Background:

• Limited research exists on the happiness and life satisfaction levels of dentists worldwide.
• Understanding dentists' subjective well-being is crucial for professional retention and public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the levels of happiness, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being among dental professionals across 21 countries.
• To identify demographic and social factors associated with dentists' subjective well-being.

Main Methods:

• A global survey of 2,200 dentists from 21 countries.
• Utilized Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and Affect Balance Scale (ABS).
• Employed Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis tests, correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses.

Main Results:

• Overall mean scores for SHS, SWLS, and ABS were 18.53, 23.06, and 1.26, respectively.
• Significant cross-country variations observed, with dentists in Croatia, Peru, and Serbia reporting highest scores, and those in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq reporting lowest.
• Positive correlations found between SHS, SWLS, and ABS (r values ranging from 0.533 to 0.58).
• Country of practice, age, qualification, and monthly income emerged as significant independent predictors.

Conclusions:

• Dentists' subjective well-being is significantly associated with their country of residence.
• Social and demographic characteristics play a key role in influencing dentists' happiness and life satisfaction.
• Findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve dental professional well-being globally.