Opoku-Ansah Nana Adwoa, Gallagher Jennifer E, Niven Victoria
Dental Public Health, Centre for Host Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
BDJ Open. 2025 May 27;11(1):53. doi: 10.1038/s41405-025-00314-y.
To review the literature on the key determinants of health and well-being amongst dental nurses.
A rapid review of the literature using Khangura's approach across seven health and social science databases was conducted (2002 to 2023), through OVID and the Cochrane Library, professional and health system databases-informed by past research exploring the health and well-being of dental professionals. A two-stage review process was implemented where records were screened by the primary researcher, with a second researcher independently reviewing 10% of the papers according to agreed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction and qualitative synthesis of the included studies were conducted, and quality was assessed using a Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.
Out of 4,450 identified papers, 44 underwent full-text screening and 37 studies were included for analysis. Four studies were of high quality, 13 moderate-high, 14 moderate-low and six low-quality. The overall health and well-being of dental nurses was variable and the determinants influencing well-being were grouped into micro-, meso- and macro-level factors with evidence across the three domains with the most frequently identified determinant being workplace characteristics. Dental nurses with extended duties had higher job satisfaction. There was evidence that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were increased levels of anxiety, stress, burnout and isolation among dental nurses.
The body of research suggests that dental nurses' health and well-being determinants are comparable to those of other dental professionals. Dental nurses in different countries had similar determinants. It is important to recognise and improve the determinants of dental nurses' health and well-being to support retention within the profession. Organisational and policy changes may help improve the well-being of dental nurses. Further investigation into dental nurses' health and well-being over time is needed.
回顾关于牙科护士健康与幸福关键决定因素的文献。
采用康古拉方法，通过OVID和考克兰图书馆，对七个健康与社会科学数据库（2002年至2023年）进行快速文献回顾，涉及专业和卫生系统数据库，这些数据库参考了以往探索牙科专业人员健康与幸福的研究。实施两阶段审查过程，由第一研究者筛选记录，第二研究者根据商定的纳入和排除标准独立审查10%的论文。对纳入研究进行数据提取和定性综合，并使用混合方法评估工具评估质量。
在4450篇已识别的论文中，44篇进行了全文筛选，37项研究纳入分析。四项研究质量高，13项中等偏高，14项中等偏低，六项质量低。牙科护士的整体健康与幸福状况各不相同，影响幸福的决定因素分为微观、中观和宏观层面因素，三个领域均有证据，最常确定的决定因素是工作场所特征。承担扩展职责的牙科护士工作满意度更高。有证据表明，在新冠疫情期间，牙科护士的焦虑、压力、倦怠和孤独感有所增加。
研究表明，牙科护士的健康与幸福决定因素与其他牙科专业人员相当。不同国家的牙科护士有相似的决定因素。认识并改善牙科护士健康与幸福的决定因素对于支持该职业的人员留存很重要。组织和政策变革可能有助于改善牙科护士的幸福感。需要对牙科护士的健康与幸福状况进行长期进一步调查。
