Page 31 - FINAL COMPENDIUM 2020-2021 27.2.2022

STRESS AMONGST DENTAL SURGERY ASSISTANTS IN FEDERAL TERRITORY KUALA
LUMPUR AND PUTRAJAYA
NMRR-19-1788-47921

Hafizah H, Nadhirah R, Nooraini O, Aliff Ikram NZ, Siti Asmak S

Introduction: Dental Surgery Assistants (DSAs) are important dental personnel who assist
Dental Surgeons during dental procedures along with other tasks including cleaning and
disinfection, taking radiographs and office-related work. Their job scope requires
interpersonal and technical skills in handling both dentists and patients which may lead
to Work Related Stress (WRS). WRS defined as stress that is caused by or made worse by
work. It refers to situations when a person is unable to cope with work environment. WRS
could be perceived or real pressures, deadlines, threats or anxieties within working
environment. It has destructive consequences on both individual and organization
performance. Objective: To assess stress level among DSAs and identify possible
contributing factors. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study involved 125 non-
hospitals based DSAs in 19 Government Dental Clinics in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Data was collected from November to December 2019 using a set of questionnaires
consisting of socio-demographic background, BM DASS-21 and list of potential stressors.
The stress level was measured using BM DASS-21, while the list of potential stressors was
grouped in 8 categories: workload and work hazard, dentist-assistant relationship, types
of patients, working condition, income, patient’s suffering, non-medical task and family
conditions. Results: Majority of the respondents are female (71.2%), with the mean age
31.9 ± 5.74 years and 69.6% are married. This study reported 69.6% (n=87) of the DSAs
has a normal stress level. The most common stress factor is income (89.5%, p=0.06), while
work load and hazard (97.4%, p=0.03) and type of patients (89.5%, p=0.001) are
statistically significant factors. Conclusion: Various factors could contribute to WRS, not
limited to only the listed potential stressors. Nevertheless, it is vital to minimise the stress
level in order to achieve healthy and effective work environment. Workload should be
distributed evenly and more training should be provided to DSAs to improve their skills.

Keywords: Dental Surgery Assistant (DSA), Depression Anxiety Stress scales (DASS), Work Related
Stress (WRS).

nd
Virtual poster presentation at the 22 NIH Scientific Conference on 21 – 23 September 2021
Dr Hafizah Halim
Dr Nadhirah Roznan
Dr Nooraini Osman
Dr Aliff Ikram Noor Zari
Dr Siti Asmak Subahir
Oral Health Division
Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya
Ministry of Health
Malaysia

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