Practice abstract
British Dental Journal 200, 437 - 440 (2006)
Published online: 22 April 2006 | doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.4813463
Subject Category: Occupational health
How to reduce the stress of general dental practice: The need for research into the effectiveness of multifaceted interventions
J T Newton1, C D Allen2, J Coates3, A Turner4 & J Prior5
- Interventions aimed at reducing the stress experienced by dental practitioners and other members of the dental team should be sufficiently flexible to address the complex nature of dental practice.
- Complex interventions necessitate evaluations which address a broad range of outcomes, including the experience of stress, coping mechanisms, behavioural change and exposure to stressors.
Abstract
While the practice of dentistry has been demonstrated to be significantly stressful, there have been few published studies describing interventions to reduce the stress of dental practitioners. This article describes research into the prevention and alleviation of stress amongst a variety of healthcare professionals, including dental practitioners, and describes the findings from a small scale study of an intervention aimed at general dental practitioners who reported high levels of work related stress. It is argued that to be effective, interventions should be tailored to the individual needs of the practitioner, within a structured intervention framework. Further research into the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of stress management for dental practitioners is required.
- Professor of Psychology as Applied to Dentistry, GKT Dental Institute
- Consultant in Dental Public Health, West Kent Health Authority
- Customer Services Manager, West Kent Health Authority
- Head of Conciliation and Mediation service, West Kent Health Authority
- Clinical Psychologist, West Kent Health Authority
Correspondence to: J T Newton1
Oral Health Services Research & Dental Public Health, GKT Dental Institute, Caldecot Road, London SE5 9RW
e-mail: tim.newton@kcl.ac.uk
