Contributors to dentists' job satisfaction and quality of life

Every career has the potential for producing personal satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and much of that assessment is dependent on what an individual values in life. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that contribute to dentists' job satisfaction and the overall quality of their lives. Multiple regression analysis was performed to find the best set of predictor variables. After controlling for age, sex, and length of time in practice, the combination of variables that best predicted overall job satisfaction was income, respect, and patient relations (R2 = 57%). The combination of variables that best predicted overall quality of life, after again controlling for age, sex, and length of time in practice were income, professional time, and personal time (R2 = 83%). Although over half of the dentists surveyed are satisfied with their career, they are dissatisfied with their level of stress, professional environment (threat of malpractice litigation), and amount of personal time. Implications and recommendations are discussed.