Dental trainees’ mental health and intention to leave their programs during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: Dental trainees (dental students, graduate students, and postdoctoral residents) are at increased risk of experiencing poor mental health, which can lead to intentions to leave their program, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The authors invited 355 dental trainees at the University of Washington School of Dentistry to complete an 83-item questionnaire in August and September 2020. The outcome analyzed was intention to leave their programs. There were 4 self-reported predictors: anxiety, burnout, depression, and COVID-19 impact on overall mental health. The authors ran multiple variable logistic regression models to evaluate relationships between each predictor and outcome (α = .05) and reported odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 35.5%. Overall, 12.7% of participants reported any intention to leave. In total, 22.2% and 16.7% of participants endorsed clinically significant anxiety or depression symptomatology, respectively; 28.6% reported 1 or more burnout symptoms; and 69.0% reported that COVID-19 affected their overall mental health. Participants reporting anxiety (OR, 8.87; 95% CI, 1.80 to 43.57; P = .007), depression (OR, 11.18; 95% CI, 1.84 to 67.74; P = .009), or burnout (OR, 8.14; 95% CI, 1.73 to 38.23; P = .008) were significantly more likely to report intention to leave than those not reporting mental health problems. All participants reporting that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their mental health expressed intention to leave. CONCLUSIONS: Poor mental health is common among dental trainees and is associated with intention to leave their program. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: COVID-19 has exacerbated the prevalence and consequences of poor mental health among dental students, highlighting the importance of providing wellness resources.