Network participation for unpromoted female dentists in relation to psychosocial support

Musculoskeletal disorders and emergent themes of psychosocial factors and their impact on health in dentistry

BACKGROUND

Dentistry is a profession where musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent. Physical demands and static awkward postures increase the risks of dentists developing musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, researchers have identified psychosocial factors that can influence the health of workers.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this research is to present self-reported pain regions and to assess psychosocial work factors as they relate to dentistry.

METHOD

Fourteen dentists participated in the study. Data was collected via a questionnaire administered prior to the start of and during the study. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

All dentists self-reported to be in good to excellent health and only 50% sought medical treatment for work-related discomfort and pain. Thirteen of 14 reported being at least occasionally mentally and physically exhausted after work. A musculoskeletal disorder-work hour relationship model was created. Feedback given was linked to four psychosocial factors -job demand, job control, social interactions, and job future and career issues.

CONCLUSIONS

The dental profession is considered a highly cognitive profession where much attention has been placed on the physical demands due to awkward postures. While physical demands are validated, additional research will further validate the link between psychosocial and mental and physical demands.

Organization and overall job satisfaction among publicly employed, salaried dentists in Sweden and Denmark

BACKGROUND

In Sweden and Denmark, clinical dentistry is changing and public dentistry is in transition towards more market orientation. Dentists' overall job satisfaction is important for how public dentistry can fulfil the new expectations from patients, the public and politicians.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate what organizational factors were important for publicly employed salaried dentists' overall job satisfaction.

METHODS

A random sample of active, general dental practitioners (private and publicly employed) was selected in Denmark and in Sweden, and they received a postal questionnaire. The number of questionnaires was 1835 and the response rate was 68% (n = 1226). This study analysed only the publicly employed dentists. The sampling frame for the Swedish dentists was 431, response rate 68.9% (n = 297) and for the Danish ones 194, response rate 81.9% (n = 159). Multivariate regression was used with overall job satisfaction as a dependent variable.

RESULTS

Common organizational variables were important. The used model explained between 32% (Sweden) and 39% (Denmark) of the variance in overall job satisfaction. The only significant individual factor was less job satisfaction for Swedish dentists born outside Sweden. An organizational climate characterized by a focus on professional values was associated with job satisfaction in both countries. Among the Swedish dentists, number of colleagues and degree of influence were also important and among the Danish ones sufficient time for patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Organizational factors had an impact on salaried publicly employed dentists' overall job satisfaction in both countries. The findings may have implications for other Human Service Organizations with employed professionals.

Collegial Support and Community with Trust in Swedish and Danish dentistry

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to better understand the associations between work factors and professional support among dentists (Collegial Support) as well as the sense of being part of a work community characterized by trust (Community with Trust).

METHODS

A questionnaire was sent to 1835 general dental practitioners, randomly selected from the members of dental associations in Sweden and Denmark in 2008. The response rate was 68%. Two models with the outcome variables Collegial Support and being part of a Community with Trust were built using multiple hierarchical linear regression. Demographic background factors, work factors, managerial factors and factors relating to objectives and to values characterizing climate of the practice were all introduced as blocks into the models.

RESULTS

A different pattern emerged for Collegial Support than for Community with Trust, indicating different underlying mechanisms. The main results were: (I) Female, married/cohabitant, collegial network outside the practice, common breaks, formalized managerial education of leader and a climate characterized by professional values, which were positively associated with Collegial Support, while number of years as a dentist and being managerially responsible were negatively associated. (II) Common breaks, decision authority and a climate characterized by professional values were positively associated with Community with Trust.

CONCLUSION

A professionally-oriented practice climate and having common breaks at work were strongly associated with both outcome variables. The study underlined the importance of managing dentistry in a way which respects the professional ethos of dentists.

Self-perceived mental health and job satisfaction among Lithuanian dentists

The aim of this study was to document dentists' self-perceived mental health complaints and job satisfaction, and to assess any correlations between the two. A postal questionnaire survey was mailed to all (N=2,449) licensed dentists registered with the Lithuanian Dental Association. The questionnaire investigated dentists' mental health and job satisfaction during the previous year (overall response rate: 68.2%). The majority of respondents (80.7%) reported being satisfied with their job. Self-perceived lack of self-esteem (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.43-0.82), loneliness (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.53-0.98), and especially depression (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.35-0.77) had a high negative impact on dentists' job satisfaction. Nervousness (89.2%) and burnout (83.6%) were the most prevalent mental complaints and they also tended to be the most chronic of all reported mental disorders. Increasing age significantly reduced the possibility of nervousness or depression and increased the possibility of being satisfied with dental practice. Increasing working hours increased the risk of burnout, anxiety and loneliness. Overall, this study suggests that the majority of Lithuanian dentists are satisfied with their job and also enjoy their professional lives. However, a considerable proportion still reported impairment of mental health which influenced their levels of job satisfaction.

Moral values and career: factors shaping the image of healthy work for female dentists

OBJECTIVE

Female unpromoted general practice dentists (GPDs) constitute about one-quarter of all dentists in Sweden. These female dentists suffer from many problems relating to their psychosocial working conditions. There are wide discrepancies between their perception of the ideal job situation and reality. Previously, three factors were found to constitute the ideal job situation. The aim of this study was to analyze patterns in two of these factors, i.e. the moral and the career factors, for understanding how ideal circumstances are conceived, i.e. how "good work" for the dentists could be obtained.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In the year 2000, all female unpromoted GPDs (183 persons) within the Public Dental Health Service (PDHS) in a region in Sweden received a questionnaire; response rate 94%. Four multiple regression models were constructed for two factors of good work and for the differences between the ideal job situation and reality concerning these factors.

RESULTS

In all models, the explained variance was high. Those dentists who were committed to moral issues perceived large differences between the ideal and reality concerning moral values. Dentists committed to career issues experienced large differences between the ideal and reality concerning career development. Those dentists - about 60% - who would not want to be a dentist if they were to choose today, perceived large discrepancies concerning moral and career issues.

CONCLUSIONS

The PDHS organization has failed to convince or engage those whom it ought to engage, that is those with the highest level of commitment. Dentists' emphasis on moral values confirms the character of dentistry as primarily a human service work.