Are we well? A post‐pandemic snapshot of dental educator wellness, well‐being, and fulfillment

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionThe COVID‐19 pandemic brought unprecedented changes to oral care and dental education delivery. To date, the vast majority of studies focus on the impact COVID‐19 had on the well‐being and wellness of patients, practitioners, and students; however, limited literature addresses the pandemic's impact on dental educators.PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the wellness, well‐being, and fulfillment of dental educators in the years following the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsFollowing Institutional Review Board approval, an anonymous electronic Qualtrics survey was emailed to full‐time and adjunct faculty across five (5) dental education institutions in the US. Faculty self‐reported on their wellness, general well‐being, physical well‐being, mental well‐being, fulfillment, and work–life balance. Group differences were examined using analysis of variance and the Tukey–Kramer test for multiple comparisons at the p < 0.05 level.ResultsThe results revealed females and younger dental faculty members reported statistically significantly lower levels of wellness (F2, 123 = 11.16, p < 0.001, F3, 121 = 8.53, p < 0.001), physical (F2, 123 = 11.53, p < 0.001, F3, 121 = 5.54, p = 0.001) and mental well‐being (F2, 123 = 12.49, p < 0.001, F3, 121 = 8.63, p < 0.001), fulfillment (F3, 121 = 5.01, p < 0.003), and higher levels of burnout (F2, 123 = 5.53, p = 0.005, F3, 121 = 4.85, p < 0.003). Those who expressed higher levels of burnout also had statistically lower mean well‐being scores (F4, 119 = 10.54, p < 0.001). Females also reported a significantly lower work–life balance score compared to male respondents (F2, 121 = 10.37, p < 0.002).ConclusionDespite the social and environmental challenges faced over the last couple of years post‐pandemic, dental educators demonstrate a quick ability to adapt, however, disproportional differences in gender and age groups were identified as being significantly correlated to dental educators’ self‐reports on wellness, well‐being, and fulfillment. Insight into these variables can help inform strategies in the academic setting to help support and strengthen the academic workforce.