A Survey of Professional Burnout and Depression among Pediatric Dentists in the United States

Objectives: 1) To assess the prevalence of occupational burnout and depression among pediatric dentists in the United States, and 2) To explore for differences in the prevalence of burnout/depression based upon gender, age, marital status, clinical practice type, geographical location, number of years in clinical practice, and number of hours worked per week. Methods: A self-administered online anonymous survey using Survey Monkey速 was sent to all active members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry residing in the United States. The survey included: 1) demographic information; 2) the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI); and 3) the Patient Health Questionnaire 8 (PHQ-8). Results: A total of 4,735 pediatric dentists received the survey questionnaires and resulted in 540 usable responses (response rate = 11.40%). The prevalence of occupational burnout and depression were 9.1 and 7.2 percent respectively. Conclusions: A small but notable number of U.S. pediatric dentists had occupational burnout and depression.M.Sc