Is there burnout related to work among Dutch dental hygienists?: Combining studies by using the UBOS and the UWES

To investigate the prevalence of burnout among Dutch young and more experienced dental hygienists and the work experience of young professional dental hygienists.

Two studies were carried out using the Dutch version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory; the Utrecht Burnout Scale (UBOS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). In Study I, 400 participants completed an online questionnaire, including the UBOS-general version. In Study II, a questionnaire was distributed via social media to young professionals, including the UBOS-health care version and the UWES-9.

2.5% of 157 dental hygienists (Study I) satisfied the norm of burnout. Dental hygienists' average work experience was 16.6 years, and one-thirds worked 25-32 hours per week. In Study II, 73 young professionals (M = 26.5 years) reported 32.9 weekly working hours. Three-quarters were employed and worked in a dental clinical team practice. UWES-mean scores indicated a moderate to high level of work engagement. Mostly, all aspects of burnout were low compared with the test Manual norms.

Exploratory findings show that generally burnout appears no threat for Dutch dental hygienists, and moderate to high level of work engagement coincides with a low level of burnout-related symptoms.