The Silent Struggle: Dentistry's Battle against Burnout

Hussein Moussawi*¹

*Correspondence to: Hussein Moussawi, Member of LDA, ITI member, Diploma in Oral Implantology, Saint Joseph University Beirut, American board certified, USA.

Copyright

© 2024 Hussein Moussawi. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: 20 April 2024

Published: 01 May 2024

Introduction:

It lurks like a hidden menace in the community of dentistry, in the modern facilities with their clean chairs and the reassuring sound of whirling and arching dental machinery: burnout can be increasingly prevalent among many dental staff. ‘My level of tiredness started creeping up,’ said one dentist, presently specialising in oral implants, while he described the onset of his burnout. ‘I would feel tired in the evening. When this became constant, that’s when I realised.’ The clinics are bright. The equipment dazzling. A soft beep sounds when you start a cycle. But the toll burnout takes on staff and their patients cannot be dismissed. One dental sleep-specialist, who preferred not to be named, said he felt like he was dying from a failing system. ‘I felt powerless,’ he said. The concept of burnout has long existed, but was not named until Herbert Freudenberger, a New York psychotherapist, outlined it in the late-1970s. It is defined by the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases as ‘a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed’.

Figure 1

The Burden of Dentistry:

Dentistry isn’t just a profession, it’s a vocation – a calling that’s riddled with challenges – but also rewards. Beyond the clean and clinical appearance of a dental office is a profession loaded with epic challenges. Dentists perform a life-long juggling act between patients’ high expectations and the bureaucratic demands laid out by insurance companies on one side, and their own high standards and precision-dictated coordinates of a growing practice in the other. Dentists have to demonstrate flawless results to their patients while at the same time adhering to administrative requirements. ‘Dentistry isn’t just a job you do to make money; it’s not just a career; it’s a calling – constantly proving yourself to patients because you don’t get a second chance to do it right, to delivering promptly what they deserve.’ With the pressure, not to mention the physical position they must maintain when treating patients, it’s little wonder that some clinicians present certain characters. Dentists don’t lead simple lives.

Understanding Burnout:

From the shortage of resources to threats of forensic accountability for NHS providers, dentistry has been an easy target for policies that seem oblivious to the impact on clinicians. The consequences are insidious. Burnout (also known as job strain, work-related cynicism or dissatisfaction, and compassion fatigue) looms large and silent as the foremost ‘psychosocial hazard’ to dental practice. Bathing its victims in a sense of dread, lack of energy, perceived loss of control, and detachment from patients, burnout slowly corrodes the very essence of work in healthcare professionals who face a series of challenges such as chronic emotional exhaustion, a depersonalisation of their interactions with patients, and a declining sense of purpose. These ‘internal states’, as Hacker would say, are fraught with uncertainty, dragging dentistry to the brink of existential crisis. A second feature of burnout, depersonalisation, shows up as dentists increasingly begin to think of patients as things, objects with a mouth instead of human beings with feelings, concerns and unique needs. The connection with patients, so important to both professional and personal fulfilment, frayed and ultimately breaks early in the process. Along with an erosion of connection, a loss of efficacy corrodes the professional’s sense of self. The flame gradually dims and dentists feel impotent to help the patients in any meaningful way.

Figure 2

Addressing Burnout:

A meaningful solution to combat burnout will need to involve pathways to address both systemic issues within the profession and individual coping mechanisms. This is a failure of dental institutions, not the individual sufferers of burnout Kyneur, London, and Virginia agree that dental schools and institutions need to take an active approach to the wellbeing of their students and practitioners. Solutions could include wellness programmes, access to counselling, curricula changes and discussions to free up people to talk openly about how to manage the challenges of dental practice. At the individual level, it is about self-care and ensuring that dentists have outlets for stress and burnout, by setting parameters around work hours, prioritising exercise and relaxation, reaching out for help from colleagues and mentors, having fun and engaging in activities outside of dentistry that provide a fulfilling work-life balance. At the collective level, dentists must be champions who speak out against unrealistic productivity demands, and advocate for policies that support their ability to thrive in their work.

Dentists need to emphasize taking care of themselves and learn coping mechanisms to avoid burnout. This could entail establishing boundaries for work hours, exercising frequently, using relaxation techniques, asking for help from mentors and coworkers, and pursuing fulfilling hobbies outside of dentistry. In addition, dentists have a responsibility to speak up for themselves and their peers by opposing unjustified expectations for production and supporting laws that promote the health and welfare of the dental community.

Figure 3

Conclusion:

In summary, burnout is a serious concern in the dental industry that may threaten both the standard of patient treatment and the health of dental practitioners. By bringing attention to this invisible battle and taking proactive steps to overcome it, we can make sure that dentistry is a profession that is marked by quality, compassion, and resiliency. In order to foster a culture that promotes the flourishing of all individuals who choose to dedicate their life to the noble goal of dental health and healing, dentists must put their own well-being first and fight for improvements within the profession.

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