COULD THE FEAR OF LEGAL ACTION BE A STRESS FACTOR IN DENTISTRY?

Dentists experience significant occupational stress caused by various factors in their professional lives, with a high prevalence; however, the perceived stress level and the consideration of legal actions by a patient as a stress factor are poorly explored. This study investigated the opinions of international dental practitioners on career-related stress factors and their perceived stress levels using an anonymous JISC online survey V3, showing eight questions. The data was compared across perceived stress level categories for each questionnaire’s question using chi-square analysis. Time pressure, workload, and patient expectations were key stressors found, each reported by 35.4% of respondents (out of 99). Almost half of the dentists considered that patient suing a realistic stress factor in their career, and 1/4 have considered it a possibility. Further analysis revealed that dental practitioners who suffer policy or regulation pressure at work or consider the possibility of a patient suing them have 3.6 and 3 times more chances of high stress levels, respectively. Only 7% of dentists reported no stress in their professional careers, with a higher stress level proportion seen amongst those working in Academia. Work performance is realistically impacted by stress according to 30% of respondents, and is a possibility for 37%. Dental practitioners must deal with multiple stressors in their work, including but not limited to time pressure, workload, and patients' expectations. The possibility of legal action is a realistic stress factor, and the impact of stress on work performance is acknowledged in this study.