Rosário Mexia
Dental Medicine: the wear and tear of the profession
- Professor. Operative Dentistry. FMDUL
- Head of Clínica Integrada de Diagnóstico e Plano de Tratamento FMDUL
- UD in Meditation and Stress Management. Faculty of Medicine. Sorbonne-University. Paris. 2021
- PhD in Dental Medicine
- Continuing Education Course, Clinical Leadership Module. Harvard School of Dental Medicine. 2015
- Master in Psychology of Emotions. ISCTE-IUL. 2008_2010
- Master in Dental Aesthetic and Adhesion. Santiago de Compostela University. 2004
- Degree in Dental Medicine. University of Lisbon. 1980
Nationality: Portugal
Scientific areas: On Our Agenda (wear and tear profession)
19 of november, from 11h30 until 13h00
Room 2
Conference summary
Among the health professions, Dentistry is considered the most stressful and at high risk for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) Dentists and dental students have high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, burnout and complaints of musculoskeletal disorder (MSC).
Stress has a positive correlation with the prevalence of MSDs, as much as for its appearance, its worsening and progression.
Depending on its chronicity and duration, stress may lead to mental illness, depression, anxiety, and burnout.
Portuguese dentists present high stress level, significantly higher than the general Portuguese population. More than 80% of Portuguese dentists self-evaluated the presence of stress in their lives.
The prevalence of symptoms of MSDs among Portuguese dentists is high, with 88.2% of them reporting complains for at least one body region during the last week, and 90.7% on the last year. Stress and MSC, are positively correlated with each other, and negatively related to authentic-durable happiness and to physical activity.
These results may suggest that stress among dentists is caused not only by the inherent fact that Dentistry is stressful and demanding but also because dentists must deal with the symptoms of MSDs.
In Portugal, levels of MSD, stress, anxiety, and depression are night, in dentists as well as among dental students. Dental education should teach students on psychological strategies to deal with stress, anxiety, and depression.
Lecturer of the session “On Our Agenda” with the title “Dental Medicine: the wear and tear of the profession”.