Personality differences in dental professionals

Title – Personality Differences in Dental Professionals: A Cross-sectional Survey. Aim – To measure the personality of dental professionals and OMF surgeons and investigate differences between groups. Design – Cross-sectional survey. Setting – United Kingdom. Data collected October 2020 to January 2021. Population – The sample comprised of dental nurses (n = 475), general dental practitioners (GDPs) (n = 182), orthodontists (n = 201) and oral and maxillofacial (OMF) surgeons (n = 48). Materials and Methods – Participants were recruited via email and social media. The questionnaire collected data on demographic variables and contained the Big Five Inventory, a validated self-report personality test based on the prevailing Five Factor Model of personality. Participants were scored on: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness, as well as the more specific personality facets of Assertiveness, Activity, Altruism, Compliance, Order, Self-Discipline, Anxiety, Depression, Aesthetics, and Ideas. Data Analysis – One way analysis of variance and post hoc tests were used to identify significant mean differences between occupations in the five factors and ten facets. Hierarchical multiple regression determined the influence of occupational group, over and above demographic variables, for each of the five factors. Results – Dental nurses had greater Agreeableness relative to orthodontists (p = 0.002) and OMF surgeons (p = 0.001). Orthodontists and dental nurses had greater Conscientiousness relative to GDPs (p < 0.001). Orthodontists and OMF surgeons had lower Neuroticism relative to dental nurses (p = 0.002). The differences were small to moderate in size (ω2 = 0.025 – 0.047). Occupation was associated with personality after accounting for demographic variables. Conclusions – The personalities of dental nurses, GDPs, orthodontists and OMF surgeons differ. Although it is not possible to determine cause and effect from this study design, these differences have implications for teamworking, recruitment, and self-selection into these groups.