Stress factors operating in the dental office work environment.

Stress in the dental working environment is a topic of great importance to everyone associated with dentistry--dentist, staff member, and patient. The effective reduction of stress in the dental environment has emotional, health, and financial implications for everyone. Research indicates that much of the stress we experience is a result of our beliefs and perceptions as we interact with the world around us. This finding represents both the opportunity and the challenge: The principal thing we have to change to manage stress more effectively is ourselves. Learning to do so is a necessary skill for all of us who must cope with this rapidly changing and potentially stressful world.