Addressing burnout in dental hygiene: Evidence of impact and supportive solutions

Burnout is a serious concern in dental hygiene, affecting personal health, patient care, and the future of the profession.¹ National studies show nearly 68% of dental hygienists have considered leaving the profession within five years due to stress and burnout.² In California, about one third of surveyed hygienists met burnout thresholds on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), reporting high emotional exhaustion and low personal accomplishment.³

Recognizing the risk, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association has increased its focus on mental health and workplace stress through educational programs focused on mindfulness, resilience, and early intervention.⁴ Addressing burnout is critical to protecting career satisfaction, retaining dental hygienists, and maintaining consistent, quality patient care.

Understanding burnout

Burnout is a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stress at work. Characteristics include emotional exhaustion, growing cynicism or detachment, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment.¹ The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies burnout as an occupational syndrome that results when workplace stress becomes chronic and is not effectively addressed. An imbalance between the demands of the work environment and the resources available to meet them may exist. This gap can lead to both physical and mental health issues.

Clinically, burnout may manifest as headaches, digestive problems, sleep disturbances, changes in eating habits, or muscle pain. Psychosocial effects can include workplace fear, anxiety, lack of motivation, and lower self-confidence. In health care, burnout has also been linked to increased errors, patient safety concerns, higher costs, and overall impacts on workforce well-being.¹

Two main tools help measure, assess, and quantify these issues. The MBI is widely used across health professions to measure burnout’s core features.³

By contrast, the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL) was developed for caring professions and is especially relevant for those exposed to secondary traumatic stress. This makes it well-suited for dental hygienists, who often care for patients with significant fear, medical complexities, or histories of neglect.² The ProQoL also measures compassion satisfaction, a protective factor that can help sustain motivation and mitigate emotional fatigue, and findings from these assessments reveal concerning trends. National studies using the ProQoL show that compassion fatigue and lower compassion satisfaction are closely linked to higher burnout scores and thoughts of leaving the profession.² This indicates that burnout is often tied not just to workload, but to the emotional toll of caring deeply for patients under challenging conditions.

Causes of burnout in dental hygiene

Burnout in dental hygiene results from a mix of physical strain, emotional demands, and workplace pressures that reinforce one another. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a direct contributor.² Clinical dental hygiene involves prolonged static postures, repetitive motions, and awkward positions that strain the neck, shoulders, back, and hands. These issues are common and often painful, leading to fatigue and even prompting some dental hygienists to leave practice prematurely.⁴ Persistent discomfort lowers energy and increases emotional exhaustion.

Emotional labor is another critical factor. Dental hygienists frequently manage patients’ fears, anxieties, and complex health needs, requiring sustained empathy. Over time, this constant emotional engagement can lead to compassion fatigue, where the capacity to offer genuine empathy becomes depleted.² Without adequate opportunities to recover emotionally, compassion fatigue may progress into full burnout.

Workplace dynamics further intensify the problem. Poor leadership, limited respect from colleagues or employers, and a lack of recognition create toxic environments that undermine morale.⁵ Many dental hygienists may also feel pressure to prioritize productivity targets over patient-centered care, often resulting in shorter appointments and fewer chances to build meaningful relationships. This can conflict with professional values and lead to moral distress.³ Together, these factors create an environment where burnout can flourish.

Consequences of burnout

Burnout has significant personal, professional, and public health repercussions. On a personal level, dental hygienists experiencing burnout often report chronic stress, fatigue, irritability, and a decline in overall mental health. These issues can spill over into life outside of work, affecting relationships and daily functioning.¹ Professionally, burnout can compromise the quality of care, which ultimately makes the dental hygienist’s work more difficult and adds to the strain.

Patients trust clinicians to perform at a high standard. They may never realize a dental hygienist is struggling with burnout and providing suboptimal care. Over time, this situation can undermine patient trust and satisfaction.

Burnout is also closely linked to job dissatisfaction and a higher intention to leave clinical practice. Studies indicate that dental hygienists with elevated burnout scores are significantly more likely to consider accepting another position or leaving the profession altogether.⁵ As burnout may increase the number of dental hygienists leaving the workforce, communities may suffer with a shortage of dental hygiene providers. This emphasizes that burnout is not just a personal struggle but a workforce and public health concern.

Evidence-based strategies for resilience

Addressing burnout requires a multilevel approach that combines individual self-care strategies, ergonomic awareness, supportive workplace practices, and broader systemic changes. At the individual level, research supports paying close attention to ergonomics, practicing mindfulness techniques, boundary setting, and intentional movement as effective ways to manage both physical and mental stress. Mindfulness and brief chair exercise stretching sessions have been shown to reduce musculoskeletal tension and mental strain in clinical settings.⁴ Clear boundaries and self-care outside of work help build resilience. Within the workplace, employers who foster open communication, provide recognition, and create a culture that values employee well-being can significantly reduce burnout risk.⁵

Programs that encourage peer support and focus on enhancing compassion satisfaction—finding meaning and fulfillment in helping patients—have also been shown to buffer against burnout.² On a broader scale, integrating wellness and mental health education into dental hygiene programs prepares new professionals to navigate emotional and physical demands more effectively.

The ADHA and other organizations advocate for integration of trauma-informed care principles and stress management strategies into curricula and continuing education.⁴ These initiatives aim to normalize discussions about burnout and equip hygienists with skills to manage stress throughout their careers. Reducing burnout is not just up to individual hygienists; it also requires supportive leadership, education reforms, and a shared commitment across the profession.

Conclusion

Burnout in dental hygiene is a well-documented occupational hazard, but it is also manageable and preventable. Open communication about burnout may help reframe it as a legitimate professional risk, since it is not the result of personal weakness or failure, but a response to chronic workplace stress. This distinction matters, as it places responsibility on the environment that creates and sustains the stress rather than on the individual experiencing it.

Dental hygienists should be encouraged to pursue continuing education on stress management and self-care. Professional organizations and educators can reinforce this by promoting wellness initiatives and integrating mental health resources into both training and practice environments.

Employers must also support structural changes, such as fair scheduling, reasonable productivity expectations, and leadership that values well-being alongside patient care. Addressing burnout requires a collective effort to create healthier work environments where dental hygienists can thrive both personally and professionally. 

Author’s note: Sommer Graham completed this manuscript as a partial fulfillment for the Master of Science in Dental Hygiene program from the University of New Mexico, Division of Dental Hygiene.

Editor's note: This article appeared in the November/December 2025 print edition of RDH magazine. Dental hygienists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.

References

1. Suedbeck J, Ludwig EA, Tolle SL. The prevalence of burnout among entry-level dental hygiene program directors. J Dent Hyg. 2021;95(1):67-72.
2. Knutt A, Boyd LD, Adams JL, Vineyard J. Compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout among dental hygienists in the United States. J Dent Hyg. 2022;96(1):34-39.
3. Bercasio LV, Rowe DJ, Yansane AI. Factors associated with burnout among dental hygienists in California. J Dent Hyg. 2020;94(6):40-48.
4. Mental health and the dental hygienist: agenda and CE program. American Dental Hygienists’ Association. Chicago; 2025.
5. Patel BM, Boyd LD, Vineyard J, LaSpina L. Job satisfaction, burnout, and intention to leave among dental hygienists in clinical practice. J Dent Hyg. 2021;95(2):28-35.