Organizational and Human Factors in Dentistry: A Macroergonomic Approach to Maximize Dental Practice Performance and Minimize Burnout and Psychophysical Stress

Abstract

The psychophysical impact of a high-complexity environment such as the dental office is not a novelty. This article outlines the organizational and human factors that impact the overall health of dentists, assistants, hygienists, and administrative staff. A careless organizational and human factors approach cannot only function as a stress and error trigger but also affect the highly precise requirements of dentistry and task performance in the daily demands of the office.

Ergonomics and human factors principles guidelines should be structured and taught from the basics in dental schools and supported by prevention programs and interventions in the dental professional field, as in other industries, to promote safety, health, and efficiency within the integration of humans, systems, and environments.

Usually, the main focus of dentistry research is the physical aspect of the job; the high rates of musculoskeletal disorders are a real problem, but the cognitive-organizational element of the job is not a minimal issue, which highly contributes to physical-emotional exhaustion in the work environment.

A fatigued mind impacts the physical aspect of the job, and physical fatigue impacts the mental aspect of the job. This dual effect in a job that requires dealing with anxiety and fear patients, administrative situations in the office, financial aspects, and technical and skill aspects from the dentist, among other requirements, makes dentistry a unique profession.

This article addresses the components of the factors that promote cognitive depletion in our field and provides simple tips on controlling them to avoid burnout among dentists. It highlights the importance of awareness of how we manage the organization in the office and the effect on human behavior and performance. It wants to bring to light a common problem for dental practitioners and the workforce to prevent health and performance decrease.