Quality of life of dentists

OBJECTIVE: An important determinant of job satisfaction and life fulfillment is the quality of life (QOL) of the individuals working in a particular field. Currently, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there is limited research pertaining to the QOL of dentists. The main objective of this study was to assess QOL of dentists in the UAE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The World Health Organization (WHO) QOL-BREF questionnaire (the World Health Organization abbreviated instrument for QOL assessment), which assesses QOL in physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains, was found to be a suitable instrument for use. A total of 290 questionnaires were distributed to general dental practitioners and specialists working in the private sector. The response rate was 46%. The completed questionnaires were coded and analyzed using the SPSS IBM software version 21. RESULTS: QOL of specialists was significantly better than general practitioners (GPs) on all domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (P < 0.05). Married dentists had better QOL than singles on the social and environmental domains. Furthermore, specialists reported significantly better QOL compared to GPs after adjustment for sex, age, and marital status (P < 0.05) in the psychosocial and environmental domains. CONCLUSIONS: Among dentists who work in the UAE, QOL can be affected by several factors, one of them being whether dentist is a GP or a specialist.