Ontario dental assistants' job satisfaction: relationship to work stress and intention to change jobs.

Low job satisfaction has been linked to rapid turnover of dental assistants with resultant loss of productivity and reduced quality of patient care. Work dissatisfaction has also been linked to stress related diseases. The aim of this mailed survey of 1,000 Ontario certified dental assistants was to test a survey instrument developed in the United States and to relate satisfaction to work stress and to the intent to change jobs. Eighty-one per cent of eligible subjects responded. The satisfaction sub-scales of the survey instrument were found generally to have acceptable construct validity and to be reliable when applied to an Ontario population. However, some minor modifications were necessary. Although over 36 per cent said they were generally very satisfied with their work, the intent to change jobs was significantly related to areas of dissatisfaction concerning recognition for work done and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Stress was related to dissatisfaction with work-related fatigue, time pressure and nonpatient tasks. These findings have implications for dental practice management.