Maragha T, Atanackovic J, Adams T, Brondani M, Bourgeault I
Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies & Canadian Health Workforce Network, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
JDR Clin Trans Res. 2025 Apr;10(2):100-111. doi: 10.1177/23800844241271664. Epub 2024 Sep 20.
The mental health of dentists, like all health professionals, is a growing concern. The objectives of this study were to identify the mental health challenges experienced by Canadian dentists and to describe the support needs and promising practices to better support them.
This study used a mixed-methods case study design to gather data from semistructured qualitative interviews and a survey for triangulation.
Thirty-six dentists and 17 stakeholders participated in the interviews, and 397 dentists participated in the survey. The interview and survey data revealed that dentists have experienced several challenges personally, professionally, and socially. Around 44% of participating dentists experienced a wide range of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Sex/gender shaped the mental health experiences of female dentists, who reported more stress related to caring responsibilities. They had a higher percentage of mental health issues (50%) than men (37%). Caretaking emerged as the main challenge in the social and personal domain, particularly for female dentists in both survey and interview findings. The dentists' role in practice was one of the most frequently reported professional challenges. While practice owners reported challenges with staff and practice management, associate dentists experienced difficulties with the lack of autonomy and conflicts with office managers and owners. Other challenges reported by participating dentists included patient care responsibilities, loneliness, and isolation. To address these challenges and their impact, dentists and stakeholders identified several support needs and promising practices, including increasing awareness about mental health issues, expanding existing mental health resources, incorporating mental health content in dental education, and encouraging engagement in organized dentistry, particularly for women.
The impact of mental health challenges on dentists' career trajectory and productivity is an ongoing concern in Canada. Gender-specific strategies to support the mental health of dentists should be developed.Knowledge Translation Statement:This study identified the mental health challenges of dentists in Canada to inform the development of interventions and strategies to promote the health and well-being of dentists and dental students. It also highlighted the need for clinicians, students, and individuals in leadership positions in institutions and professional organizations to recognize and consider the working conditions of dentists in various positions to avoid negative consequences on their mental health, reduce the attrition from the professional, and improve patient care outcomes.
与所有医疗专业人员一样，牙医的心理健康日益受到关注。本研究的目的是确定加拿大牙医所面临的心理健康挑战，并描述支持他们的需求及可行做法。
本研究采用混合方法案例研究设计，通过半结构化定性访谈和调查收集数据以进行三角验证。
36名牙医和17名利益相关者参与了访谈，397名牙医参与了调查。访谈和调查数据显示，牙医在个人、职业和社会方面都经历了诸多挑战。约44%的参与调查牙医经历了广泛的心理健康问题，包括抑郁、焦虑和创伤后应激障碍。性别影响了女牙医的心理健康体验，她们报告称与护理责任相关的压力更大。她们的心理健康问题发生率（50%）高于男性（37%）。在调查和访谈结果中，护理工作成为社会和个人领域的主要挑战，尤其是对女牙医而言。牙医在执业中的角色是最常被提及的职业挑战之一。诊所所有者报告了员工和诊所管理方面的挑战，而助理牙医则因缺乏自主权以及与办公室经理和所有者的冲突而遇到困难。参与调查的牙医报告的其他挑战包括患者护理责任、孤独感和孤立感。为应对这些挑战及其影响，牙医和利益相关者确定了多项支持需求和可行做法，包括提高对心理健康问题的认识、扩大现有心理健康资源、将心理健康内容纳入牙科教育，以及鼓励参与有组织的牙科活动，尤其是针对女性。
心理健康挑战对牙医职业轨迹和工作效率的影响在加拿大一直备受关注。应制定针对性别的策略来支持牙医的心理健康。
本研究确定了加拿大牙医的心理健康挑战，为制定促进牙医和牙科学生健康与福祉的干预措施和策略提供参考。它还强调，临床医生、学生以及机构和专业组织中担任领导职务的人员需要认识并考虑不同职位牙医的工作条件，以避免对其心理健康产生负面影响，减少职业流失，并改善患者护理结果。
