Happiness among dentists: a multi-scale, multi-national study from 21 countries

Alhajj MN 1 , Omar R 2 , Khader Y 3 , Celebić A 4 , El Tantawi M 5 , Folayan MO 6 Show all authors , Al-Maweri SA 7 , Halboub E 8 , Alkheraif AA 9 , de Sousa-Neto MD 10 , Vukovic A 11 , Arheiam A 12 , Ismail IA 13 , Abdullah AG 14 , Amran AG 15 , Kohli S 16 , Ariffin Z 17 , Kocaelli H 18 , Khan S 19 , Ramos Márquez J 20 , Assad M 21 , Brangkgei I 22 , Makzoumé JE 23 , Prasad D A 24 , Murad AH 25 , Basnet BB 26 , Albaraes A 12 , Camargo R 10 , Persic S 4 , Muhammad F 27

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Thamar University, Dhamar, Yemen
  • 2 Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait
  • 3 Department of Community Medicine, Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
  • 4 Department of Removable Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
  • 5 Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
  • 6 Department of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
  • 7 Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, AlFarabi Colleges, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • 8 Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
  • 9 Dental Biomaterials Research Chair, Dental Health Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 10 Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • 11 Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
  • 12 Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Benghazi, Benghazi, Libya
  • 13 Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
  • 14 Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
  • 15 Department of Periodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Thamar University, Dhamar, Yemen
  • 16 Division of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, International Medical University (IMU), Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 17 Prosthodontics Unit, School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 18 Department of Oral Surgery and Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
  • 19 Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
  • 20 Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, University of San Martín de Porres, Lima, Peru
  • 21 Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Tishreen, Lattakia, Syria
  • 22 Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Syrian Private University (SPU), Damascus, Syria
  • 23 Department of Removable Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
  • 24 Department of Prosthodontics and Crown-Bridge, A.B. Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, Nitte University, Mangalore, India
  • 25 Department of Oral Diagnosis, College of Dentistry, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Diwaniya, Iraq
  • 26 Department of Prosthodontics and Crown-Bridge, College of Dental Surgery, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
  • 27 Department of Prosthodontics, University College of Dentistry, University of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Int Dent J, 2020 Oct;70(5):328-339.
PMID: 32501563 DOI: 10.1111/idj.12579

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The extent to which dentists are happy with their profession and their life has not been well studied. The present study aimed to explore the level of happiness, satisfaction with life and psychological well-being among a sample of dental professionals from 21 countries.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised 2,200 dentists from 21 countries. Three scales - Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and Affect Balance Scale (ABS) - were used to measure the subjective responses. Data related to demographic and social characteristics were recorded. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used as appropriate. Scales were correlated, and multiple linear regression analyses were employed to identify the independent determinants of SHS, SWLS and ABS. Data were analysed using the SPSS software program; a value of P <0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS: The overall mean scores of SHS, SWLS and ABS were 18.53 ± 5.06, 23.06 ± 6.25 and 1.26 ± 2.40, respectively, with significant differences found across countries: dentists working in Croatia, Peru and Serbia recorded the highest scores, unlike dentists practicing in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, who recorded the lowest scores. There were significant, moderately positive correlations between the various scales: SHS and SWLS: r = 0.535, P 

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

MeSH terms
Similar publications