Psychosocial Job Demands and Dental Mismanagement
Author Information
Author(s): Tsutsumi Akizumi, Umehara Katsura, Ono Hiroshi, Kawakami Norito
Primary Institution: University of Occupational and Environmental Health
Hypothesis
Dental practitioners exposed to a higher level of job demand would experience adverse events more frequently than those with a lower level of job demand.
Conclusion
Emotional and sensorial job demands are a potential target for the reduction of adverse events due to dental mismanagement.
Supporting Evidence
- 261 dental practitioners responded to the survey, with a response rate of 53%.
- Emotional and sensorial demands were significantly associated with adverse events, with an odds ratio of 3.9 for each.
- 43% of respondents experienced at least one adverse event in the previous year.
Takeaway
This study found that when dentists have to deal with a lot of emotional and sensory stress, they are more likely to make mistakes that can hurt their patients.
Methodology
A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to members of a local branch of the Japan dental association, measuring psychosocial job demands and adverse events experienced.
Potential Biases
Potential underreporting of adverse events by busy practitioners or those who made errors.
Limitations
The study was limited to a local branch of a Japanese dental association, and the response rate was slightly low, which may affect the generalizability of the results.
Participant Demographics
90% men, 10% women; ages ranged from under 40 to over 61.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
1.3, 12.1 for emotional demands; 1.1, 13.3 for sensorial demands
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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