Effect of Workplace Noise and Light Conditions on Dentists\' Quality of Life, Shiraz, 2013

  Background: It has been prover that the prevalence of experiencing job related stress is very high among the dentists. This stress can be the result of factors such as poor lightening of dental office and noise. This stress can cause emotional distress and threaten dentists’ physical health and affect the quality of their life. This study is conducted to determine dentists’ professional quality of life and job-related stress and two important workplace factors that can affect them which are lighting and noise.   Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study the researchers visited the dental offices in Shiraz city and measured lighting and noise of the places, also dentist's quality of life and job stress were determined using McGill quality of life questionnaire and job-stress questionnaire.   Results: The relationship between quantitative variables was determined by using regression test and the multiple regression test was used for the modeling process. The average of local noise caused by dental drills and other parameters was 75.5 and 74.5 in public and private offices. In 2.2% of dental offices lightening condition was below the standard levels. Results show that 58.9% of dentists participating in this study experience good or fairly good quality of life.   Conclusion: The results suggest that workplace environmental situation and dentists’ professional stress and quality of life are correlated. So adjusting effective workplace parameters to the standard levels can lead to increase in the dentists’ quality of life.