Prevalence of Burnout among Dental Students during COVID-19 Lockdown in UAE.

Al-Rawi, Natheer H; Yacoub, Ala'; Zaouali, Ala; Salloum, Lina; Afash, Noura; Shazli, Omar A; Elyan, Zeina

AIM To estimate the prevalence of burnout among dental students in two major universities in the United Arab Emirates during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) lockdown. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this cross-sectional observational study, the burnout clinical subtype questionnaire (BCSQ-12-SS) (English version) was used. It consists of 12 questions covering domains of overload (4 questions), lack of development (4 questions), and neglect (4 questions). The questionnaire was sent to 500 dental students from the University of Sharjah (UOS) and Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST). The association between burnout and sociodemographic variables was also investigated. RESULTS The majority of responders were females (74%). Socio-demographic and study characteristics of dental students from both universities were not remarkably different. However, the responses to the BCSQ-12-SS questions were not very different. In this study, there was no significant association between burnout and demographic variables, such as age, gender, relationships, distance from family, residency, year of study, studying hours, and number of failed subjects. However, there was a significant association between burnout and receiving a scholarship and family support. CONCLUSION Identifying individuals at risk for burnout may provide a potential intervention strategy and counseling to assist in dental student development, as it has good psychometric properties. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Burnout among dental students could develop into anxiety and depressive disorders. Early identification and prevention will protect the psychological well-being of dentists. How to cite this article: Al-Rawi NH, Yacoub A, Zaouali A, et al. Prevalence of Burnout among Dental Students during COVID-19 Lockdown in UAE. J Contemp Dent Pract 2021;22(5):538-544.