Work place characteristics, work stress and burnout among Dutch dentists

Work stress among dentists has been described several times, indicating a diversity of causes of stress. Professional burnout among dentists has been the subject of empirical study only occasionally. The aim of the present study was to investigate which occupational factors are related to levels of burnout among Dutch dentists. A distinction was made between actual work place characteristics and experienced pressure from specific aspects of dental work. With a response rate of 75%, a representative group of 709 Dutch general dental practitioners responded to a questionnaire containing a Dutch version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-NL), the Dentists' Experienced Work Stress Scale (DEWSS), and a collection of items on work place conditions. No actual work place condition could be demonstrated to be correlated with high burnout levels. Lack of career perspective appeared to be the stress factor most strongly related to burnout. Mean burnout levels of all dentists were found to be favourable in comparison with Dutch norm scores: dentists showed less Emotional Exhaustion, less Depersonalization, and more Personal Accomplishment. It is concluded that the relation between lack of career perspective and burnout should stimulate serious attention for career planning among dentists.