Burnout among Hungarian dentists

Introduction: Burnout has an increased impact on healthcare workers due to severe stress, constant physical and emotional strain. Burnout was measured among dentists, as no such cross-sectional study has been made in Hungary. Objective: Our primary goal was to measure the incidence and severity of dental burnout and to screen for the risk factors. Our secondary goal was to raise awareness of the risk of burnout in the affected group. Method: Data collection was performed online with the 22-item Hungarian validated version of Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey. Results: 407 dentists completed our online questionnaire. The following results were obtained: in the case of emotional exhaustion, 20% of the respondents belong to the high category, in the cynicism dimension, 17.5% of the respondents have high scores. The high dimension of performance loss is typical in 75% of the sample. We found that harmonious collegial relationships, the existence of a hobby, 2-4 hours of daily work, a supportive home and work atmosphere, the lack of health problems and self-employment are significant (p=0.05) protective factors. Significant negative differences were found among men who had been working for 6-10 years. Conclusion: The results draw attention to the most important protective factors that can help reduce the rate of burnout.