Revealing Distress and Perceived Stress among Dentists at the Outset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Factor Analytic Study

Abstract

Dentists’ perceptions about the stressfulness of clinical practice are well-documented, but literature on perceived stress and psychological distress experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce. This study aims to explore the emotions and attitudes, and the socio-demographic, dental, and COVID-related factors that are associated with the emergence of perceived stress and psychological distress that have been experienced by dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic. General demographic and dental-related data, and specific questions measuring the potential factors regarding dental professionals’ concerns and opinions about their professional circumstances during the pandemic, were electronically collected from 182 dental practitioners. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess whether dentists’ emotions and attitudes during the pandemic measure the same construct: psychological distress, while linear regression models were built on the exploration of the effects of COVID-related factors on perceived stress and psychological distress. Facets of impulsiveness, lack of interest in social connections, emotional disengagement, mood swings, and acknowledgment of emotional exhaustion due to the pandemic, were measurements of the same construct and manifested in a singular factor: psychological distress. Two aspects, the fear of aerosol propagation and insecurities of financial status, increased the likelihood of the emergence of heightened levels of perceived stress and distress, while years spent in dental practice and age seemed to be protective factors against perceived stress and distress.

Estimation of Factors Affecting Burnout in Greek Dentists before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In the relevant studies, usually, younger dentists (up to 40 years) have a significantly higher depersonalization mean score (DP) than older ones (40 years and older) [ 39 , 72 ], but a significant difference between age groups was not observed in our study. Our findings confirm the results of earlier studies, which showed that burnout most often occurs in the first years of one’s professional career [ 5 , 20 , 72 , 73 , 74 ]. Accordingly, dentists in the older age range of our sample could be those who had survived the early professional stress and, at present, they do well in their professional activity, as also mentioned elsewhere [ 12 , 40 , 72 ].…”

“…Income was much less an essential predictor in our study, explained mainly by loss of earnings due to subsequent lockdowns. Our data show that negative beliefs or inability to receive the correct payment were a significant source of anxiety and disappointment in the profession, as also mentioned elsewhere [ 20 , 26 ]. Newly addressed protocols during the pandemic required extreme caution and preparedness by dental professionals [ 17 , 28 ] and costed more.…”

“…The new level of protective armamentarium and updated operational guidance and policies required necessitated the delivery of new knowledge, skills, and equipment that put under question the sustainability of their practices and necessitated a robust strategic plan [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Although employees in public oral health sectors appear to be less prone to burnout [ 14 , 16 ], dentists in the private dental sector were facing, at the same time, more responsibilities, demanding economic reinforcement of the business while patients were reluctant or unable to spend [ 12 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. This has led, in some cases, to selling practices or, in an extreme sense, ultimately leaving the profession [ 13 , 21 ].…”

The Prevalence and Development of Neck and Lower Back Pain and Associated Factors in Dentistry Students—A Long-Term Prospective Study

“…This led to increased risks of imbalanced postures and reduced freedom of movements. Such worsened work conditions, in combination with the awareness of high risk of infection transmission through an extensive production of aerosol, increased mental stress in dentists [ 19 ]. Lack of physical activity [ 20 , 21 ], age, genetic predispositions [ 22 , 23 ], female gender [ 21 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ], obesity, and smoking [ 29 ] are some of the other risk factors associated with increased risk of MSDs.…”

Quality of Life and Satisfaction from Career and Work–Life Integration of Greek Dentists before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…During the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the dental routine by bringing a high risk of aerosol contamination into dental procedures and the urgency of developing innovative safety protocols in dental practices [ 12 , 13 ], which has caused extra stress, burnout, career dissatisfaction, and low QoL [ 7 , 14 ]. Moreover, through this period, dentists, especially in the private dental sector, were facing extended responsibilities and demanding economical reinforcement of the business as patients were reluctant or unable to spend [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. During the pandemic, factors such as the female gender, the age being 50–59 years, being immune deficient or chronically ill, the pandemic being considered a financial hazard [ 16 ], or information overload [ 17 ] were the main causes of QoL worsening.…”