Levels of burnout in general dental practitioners in the south-east of England.

There is some evidence to suggest that dentists suffer a high level of job-related stress. Specifically, social interaction between dentist and patient is considered to be a type of job-related stress which may produce 'burnout', a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment that can occur in individuals whose work involves close personal contact with their clients. A study was carried out during January to June 1992 to assess the levels of burnout, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, in three samples of British GDPs recruited from the south-east of England. A total of 440 dentists were surveyed and 340 usable replies were returned. There were high levels of burnout in the British dentists. A number of demographic variables relating to marital status, educational status, time since qualification, numbers of dentists in the practice, number of days per week spent in practice and the proportion of NHS/private work undertaken were identified as being associated with some aspects of the burnout syndrome.