Psychosocial Impacts of COVID-19 on Dental Professionals
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed profound psychosocial challenges on dental professionals worldwide. Sudden practice closures, emergency-only treatment protocols and rapidly evolving infection-control measures have disrupted clinical routines and income streams. Elevated fear of viral transmission to self, family and patients has compounded routine occupational stress, fuelling anxiety and depressive symptoms. Extended use of personal protective equipment, modifications to treatment delivery and uncertainty over professional futures have contributed to emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, key dimensions of burnout. Cross-cultural surveys indicate that perceived job insecurity, long working hours and inadequate institutional support exacerbate stress responses, while personal resilience factors such as self-efficacy and sense of coherence may mitigate distress. Biomarker studies have corroborated self-reported stress with physiological measures such as salivary cortisol. The cumulative burden has prompted calls for tailored mental-health interventions, including workload adjustments, peer support structures and targeted training in pandemic preparedness. Recognising and addressing these interconnected psychosocial impacts is essential for sustaining the well-being and retention of the dental workforce as the profession adapts to an endemic phase of COVID-19.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Psychosocial Impacts of COVID-19 on Dental Professionals publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in psychosocial impacts of covid-19 on dental professionals across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Salivary cortisol: A biochemical marker of stress, measured in saliva to reflect hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity.
Burnout: A work-related syndrome characterised by emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment.
Depersonalisation: A dimension of burnout marked by detached, impersonal responses towards patients or work tasks.
Emotional exhaustion: A dimension of burnout reflecting feelings of being overextended and depleted of emotional resources.
References
- Salivary Cortisol and Anxiety in Canadian Dentists over 1 Year of COVID-19. Journal of Dental Research (2023).
- Evaluation of burnout and stress perception levels of Turkish dental laboratory technicians according to affecting factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Annals of Medicine (2023).
- Fear of COVID-19 associated with burnout syndrome in dentists of the Health Directorate of the National Police of Peru: a cross-sectional study at national level under multivariable regression model. BMC Public Health (2024).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.