Occupational burnout: a cross-sectional study among Jordanian pediatric dentists

Background: Burnout syndrome is characterized by emotional exhaustion leading to depersonalization and lessened personal accomplishment at work. It is prevalent among health care workers, including dentists. This study assessed occupational burnout among pediatric dentists and related factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey. Participants were recruited using census sampling. Data were analyzed using the independent-sample t-test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Bonferroni post-hoc and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: 92 pediatric dentists aged 27 to 69 were included in the study. Overall, the mean score was 61.5, indicating a moderate level of total burnout. Among participants, 40.2% and 16.3% reported high levels of emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalization (Dep), respectively, while 57.6% reported diminished personal accomplishment (PA). Males exhibited significantly higher Dep than females (p = 0.005). Practitioners in the capital reported lower EE than those practicing elsewhere (p = 0.007). Participants exclusively practicing pediatric dentistry demonstrated lower Dep than those with mixed practices (p = 0.038). Private-sector practitioners reported lower emotional exhaustion than those working in the Ministry of Health (MOH) (p = 0.024). EE and the number of patients treated daily were positively correlated (p = 0.026). Positive correlations were observed between PA and both age (p = 0.048) and years of experience (p = 0.043). Conclusions: This study revealed that burnout is prevalent among pediatric dentists, with a significant proportion experiencing high levels of EE and PA. Higher patient volumes were associated with increased EE, while experience and age were associated with higher PA. Workload management, support systems, stress management techniques and improvement of practice environments could mitigate burnout.