If that means we have to see and smell disgusting things, it's worth it for the health of our patients.
Dental hygienists
have a set amount of time to treat our patients thoroughly and to the best of our ability. For some, it can be very stressful to be on time day in and day out.Dental hygiene
students have also been reported to be susceptible to exhaustion.7 In one study, it is estimated that 22% of dental hygiene students met the criteria of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. 7 In another study, it was found that dental hygienists experienced work overload, conflict, emotional disharmony and pain while paying attention to patients, 19 dental hygienists, who reported that they lacked a supportive and protective dental management system and low self-efficacy, had significantly higher levels of exhaustion, 19 Each of these studies have shown that dental hygienists can be affected by several occupational factors that negatively affect their well-being. While exhaustion is known to affect health workers, little has been done to rigorously estimate the extent of exhaustion in the dental hygiene profession. The purpose of this study was to quantify the distribution of exhaustion, as identified in the Maslach exhaustion inventory, and to assess the key occupational factors that may contribute to exhaustion among dental hygienists who are members of the California Association of Dental Hygienists (CDHA).
The data indicate the importance of expressing well-deserved appreciation to colleagues and the need to develop educational programs to teach practicing dental hygienists and dental hygiene students strategies to prevent and alleviate the symptoms of stress that often lead to exhaustion. By surveying different groups separately, such as doctors who work in a dental office, administrators who work in dental hygiene offices, students, and educators, more detailed information would be obtained about the factors that contribute to exhaustion in the specific group. A question about the effect of stress on physical health among dental hygienists indicated a divided answer. A dental hygienist from Washington State said: “If I didn't exercise almost daily and get massages twice a month, I couldn't be a hygienist.
Another question was: “Do you think your employer cares about the stress you feel or does it take steps to prevent stress in your workday? Only 25% said that the employer was supportive; the rest said that the boss doesn't care (55%) or that they are not sure (20%). These same stressors can affect dental hygiene professionals, along with additional employment-related demands, such as problems with bosses, co-workers, and patients. A Texas hygienist added: “It's too stressful, and if you're not dedicated to clinical hygiene, you just won't understand it. Attention should be paid to these stress factors to improve the retention and job satisfaction of dental hygienists.
The 50-year average may reflect that older dental hygienists have more time to complete surveys or may be more interested in exhaustion. The CDHA administration facilitated the hiring of California dental hygienists by distributing the link to the study, including the informed consent and the survey instrument, to all CDHA members whose email addresses were in the CDHA database (n%3D2100). However, dental hygiene professionals, who are often older than dental hygiene students, may have developed and honed their stress management skills, so the intensity of stressors may decrease. .