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Study reveals significant psychosocial challenges among dental administrative staff

A recent study has shown that dental practice managers and receptionists in the UK are experiencing varying degrees of workplace-attributed depression, burn-out and trauma. (Image: stockfour/Shutterstock)

EDINBURGH, Scotland: Although the mental health of dentists has received increasing attention since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been little study of the well-being of other members of the dental team. Because administrative staff are fundamental to the delivery of health services, researchers in the UK have investigated the mental health and well-being of dental practice managers and receptionists to address this knowledge gap. Their findings reflect the current professional challenges in the dental industry, demonstrating high levels of negative psychosocial distress among administrative staff in UK dental workplaces owing to factors such as heavy workload, poor staff relations, overwhelming patient demands and feelings of under-appreciation.

For the study, the UK Dental Team Mental Health Research and Implementation Group, a collaboration consisting of experts in mental health and dentistry in the UK, conducted an online survey among dental teams across the UK in 2023. The questionnaire employed validated health and well-being scales to collect data on respondents’ current levels of psychological distress and allowed respondents to expand upon their answers via a free-text box.

The responses showed some worrying trends. For example, the participants exhibited low scores on personal accomplishment and elevated scores on feelings of detachment towards patients, as well as emotional exhaustion, the last being found for a staggering 41% of the respondents. Moreover, 25% of the respondents exceeded the recognised normative standard for post-traumatic stress, suggesting potential enduring trauma from the pandemic and its effect on dental services. Surprisingly, despite these concerning findings, the majority of the respondents felt equipped to deliver quality care.

Through analysis of the free-text responses, three main themes regarding stressors at work were identified. These included growing pressures on staff exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic on dental service delivery and the resulting crisis in National Health Service (NHS) dentistry, including challenges related to access and demand, an overwhelming number of patients, excessive workloads, the backlog caused by the pandemic, information overload, staff shortages and difficulties with NHS recruitment and retention. Additionally, the respondents felt affected by strained staff relations as well as a growing number of verbal and written patient complaints, some of which were sometimes aggressive in nature.

Lack of recognition was the third theme. Some employees felt undervalued at work and believed that their efforts were not being properly acknowledged. Further sources of dissatisfaction concerned pay, work terms and conditions, and arrangements for sick leave.

“As this is the first survey of UK dental practice managers and receptionists regarding their mental health and well-being, we had no baseline data, so it was very concerning to identify the high levels of negative psychosocial impact being experienced by these staff. One of the most troubling findings was that 22% of the respondents experienced high feelings of detachment towards patients, representing a potential patient safety issue. We believe that this finding can partly be explained by increasing exposure of these staff to episodes of patient frustration and aggression, as identified in the thematic analysis. There is clearly significant emotional work involved in dental administrative roles, and there is a great need to identify interventions that could better support staff in this regard,” lead author Jennifer Knights, specialist research lead at NHS Education for Scotland, told Dental Tribune International.

The study’s worrying findings highlight the need for action by governments and dental teams, particularly in light of the consequent effects, such as absenteeism, low employee retention and compromised patient safety and quality of care. The authors pointed out that additional research is required to explore the emotional demands faced by dental administrative staff in managing patient and clinician behaviours and to develop interventions that could provide more effective support for these roles.

“Dental practice managers and receptionists are front-line healthcare workers grappling daily with the real-world effects of the current difficulties within the UK dental industry. The ability of the system to keep these staff well and at work is fundamental to the sustainability of dental services. It has arguably never been more important for attention to be paid to how these staff can be fully supported in their roles at both workplace and policy level,” Knights concluded.

The study, titled “Bearing the brunt: An exploration of the mental health and wellbeing of dental practice managers and receptionists in UK dental workplaces”, was published online on 2 December 2024 in the British Dental Journal. It is part of a larger research project called MINDSET U.K., which is assessing levels of burn-out, depression, trauma and preparedness to provide quality care in dental teams.

Editorial note:

The British Dental Journal has recently published a collection of articles on the mental health of dental professionals both in practice and in training. It can be accessed here.
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