Dentists' quality of life from Espírito Santo state, Brazil 2007

Objective: measure life quality of dentists from Espírito Santo State. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study used a representative random sample of professionals  listed at the Dentistry Council of Espirito Santo State. The sample was calculated  based on three parameters: estimated prevalence of 50%; standard error of 5%, with 95% confidence. Three questionnaires were posted to collect sociodemographic and daily practice information. Quality of life was measured by WHOQOL-bref, the 26 questions short-form of WHOQOL.  Data analysis were made of 339 subjects. Variables’ relations were verified using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: Dentists from Espírito Santo perceived their general quality of life as good. The professionals that practice physical activities and have leisure activities declared better life quality. Men had greater scores in all domains. The ones who were 41 to 50 years-old, had more years of graduation, better socioeconomic status, living with three to five people, private employed, and worked near the residence perceived better quality of life in different domains. Conclusion: Dentists living at Espírito Santo have good quality of life and independent variables were associated with quality of life in different domains.
Key words: Quality of life. Health  promotion. Dentistry.