title: Self-perceived mental well-being amongst Malaysian dentists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess Malaysian dentists' perceptions of their mental well-being.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on a conceptual framework of mental health and well-being model. Two aspects were assessed, namely the physiological (two domains) and the psychological (six domains). Participants were asked to rate their experiences of the aforementioned aspects using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from all the time to never.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 81%. Most of the dentists (61.7%) perceived having positive mental well-being. Under the physiological aspect, most respondents reported that they were 'generally happy' (93.3%), but about 30% stated they were 'stressed physically and emotionally'. Of the six domains under the psychological aspect, positive well-being was observed in the 'sense of coherence' and 'behavioural stress' domains. Participants who were above 40 years old, married and had children reported having a more positive mental well-being when compared with their counterparts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, most Malaysian dentists perceived having a positive mental well-being. It is crucial, however, to closely monitor and initiate early interventions for those with negative symptoms to ensure the safe practice of dentistry.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Community Oral Health and Clinical Prevention , University of Malaya , Malaysia.
authors.forename: Norintan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ab-Murat
authors.affiliation: b Oral Health Division , Ministry of Health , Malaysia.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: c Faculty of Dentistry , Lincoln University College , Malaysia.
authors.forename: Rahimah Abdul
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kadir
authors.affiliation: d Department of Dental Public Health , The National University of Malaysia , Malaysia.
authors.forename: Noriah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yusoff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003815:Dentists / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016272:Occupational Health; D000073397:Occupational Stress; D012649:Self Concept; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: burnout; dentists; mental health; mental well-being; stress