Former MSc Dental Public Health student, King's College London, UK.
Visiting Research Associate, King's College London, UK PhD Student, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, UK.
Prim Dent J. 2022 Jun;11(2):40-50. doi: 10.1177/20501684221101663.
There has been much research relating to stressors in the dental environment and concerns over dentists' health and wellbeing. The determinants of dentists' health and wellbeing within the UK include factors, such as healthcare systems and regulation; factors, such as job specification and workplace characteristics; and factors, such as personal aspects, professional career level, and personal and professional relationships. Given the challenges in dentistry, research is needed to investigate the key determinants relating to the health and wellbeing of clinical dental care professionals (DCPs) nationally.
To review the literature on the key determinants of health and wellbeing among dental hygienists, dental therapists, clinical dental technicians, and orthodontic therapists in the UK.
A systematic review of the literature was conducted across seven databases. The records were screened by title, abstract and full text based on the study inclusion criteria. Extraction of data and a qualitative synthesis of the included studies was performed. A mixed methods appraisal tool was used to quality assess for risk of bias.
Twelve studies were included in this review, eleven of which were medium to high quality (5*, 4*) and one low quality (2*). Ten studies focused on dental therapists, and/or hygienists, with only one each on orthodontic therapists and clinical dental technicians. Job satisfaction and professional careers were the primary factors explored in the included studies and clearly identified as determinants of health and wellbeing. However, there was evidence of these being associated and linked with a range of determinants at macro-, meso-, and micro-levels, with a general lack of evidence on the overall health and wellbeing.
There is currently very limited evidence on the key determinants of health and wellbeing of clinical DCPs within the UK, but the available evidence maps to the same domains as dentists. Further well conducted research examining the overall health and wellbeing is required, with consideration of the full matrix of possible factors.
已有大量研究涉及牙科环境中的压力源以及牙医的健康和福祉问题。英国牙医健康和福祉的决定因素包括医疗保健系统和法规等因素、工作规范和工作场所特征等因素，以及个人方面、专业职业水平以及个人和专业关系等因素。鉴于牙科领域的挑战，需要研究与英国临床牙科保健专业人员（DCP）的健康和福祉相关的关键决定因素。
综述英国口腔卫生师、口腔治疗师、临床牙科技师和正畸治疗师健康和福祉的主要决定因素的文献。
对七个数据库进行了文献系统综述。根据研究纳入标准，通过标题、摘要和全文筛选记录。对纳入的研究进行数据提取和定性综合。使用混合方法评估工具对偏倚风险进行质量评估。
本综述纳入了 12 项研究，其中 11 项为中高质量（5*、4*），1 项为低质量（2*）。10 项研究集中于口腔治疗师和/或口腔卫生师，只有 1 项研究涉及正畸治疗师和临床牙科技师。工作满意度和职业发展是纳入研究中主要探讨的因素，并且明确确定为健康和福祉的决定因素。然而，有证据表明这些因素与宏观、中观和微观层面的一系列决定因素相关联，而且总体上缺乏关于整体健康和福祉的证据。
目前，英国临床 DCP 健康和福祉的关键决定因素的证据非常有限，但现有证据与牙医的相同领域相对应。需要进一步进行良好的研究，以检查整体健康和福祉，同时考虑到可能因素的全部矩阵。
