title: The practice of dentistry: an assessment of reasons for premature retirement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess reasons for premature retirement among practising dentists and to evaluate their association with occupational stress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Records from one organisation operating in the private medical sickness industry in the UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  Reasons for premature retirement of 393 dentists due to illness between 1981 and 1992.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most frequent causes of premature retirement were musculoskeletal disorders (29.5%), cardiovascular disease (21.1%), and neurotic symptoms (16.5%), 82.7% of cases examined were in the > 50 years age group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Musculoskeletal disorders and stress related illnesses were the two most important groups which influenced premature retirement.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Dental Practice, University Dental Hospital of Manchester.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Main
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003813:Dentistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D012179:Retirement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology