Occupational stress among Brazilian oral-maxillofacial surgeons.

PURPOSE The aim of the present study was to assess the stress level of oral-maxillofacial surgeons, based on the Demand-Control Model. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out with 128 oral-maxillofacial surgeons who participated in the Brazilian Congress of Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery held in the city of Florianópolis, State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Data was obtained using a questionnaire that incorporated the Demand-Control Model (Job Content Questionnaire), which evaluates psychosocial experiences at work. Information on age, gender and professional qualification was also collected. The data was displayed in contingency tables. The following statistical tests were used with a 5% level of significance: chi-square test and "Fisher exact test". RESULTS Oral-maxillofacial surgeons were classified according to the Demand-Control Model as follows: High Demand (28%), Low Demand (28%); Passive Work (27%), Active Work (16.4%). CONCLUSION The majority of oral-maxillofacial surgeons exercise their profession in unsatisfactory working conditions, as less than 1/3 of the population studied worked under the ideal condition of low demand.