title: Dentists troubled by the administration of anesthetic injections: long-term stresses and effects.
abstract: A questionnaire was mailed to 3,000 practicing dentists to inquire about their physical and psychological responses to the task of administering local anesthesia. Surprisingly, 18.8% of the 711 responding dentists reported that the administration of injections causes them enough distress to have (at least at some time) reconsidered dentistry as a career. Six percent of respondents considered their thoughts and feelings to be a serious problem, whereas only 2% reported no negative reactions to this aspect of clinical practice. Self-reported reactions to various anesthetic procedures were compared, and the various responses are discussed. It is concluded that the administration of anesthetic injections is a rarely discussed but significant contributor to the overall professional stress and difficulty for many, but not all, dentists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry, University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California 94115, USA.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peltier
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dower
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental / Q000523:psychology*; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D003815:Dentists / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections / Q000523:psychology; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008340:Mandibular Nerve; D008875:Middle Aged; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local