An introduction

Statistics show that between 10 and 12 percent of the general population gets addicted to alcohol or drugs at some point in their lives. However, according to representatives with the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners’ Monitored Aftercare Treatment Program, the prevalence of addiction among dentists and other medical professionals is 12 to 19 percent.

The reasons for this increased vulnerability to substance use disorder are manifold and constantly changing. That said, those in the dental profession maintain that the dental practice itself can act as an enabler.

According to figures from a 2021 study from the American Dental Association (ADA), 73% of dentists are the sole proprietor of their practice. Strongly independent, these professionals spend many hours in deep focus while hunched over a patient’s mouth. For this reason, more than 84% of practicing dentists reported having musculoskeletal pain as a result of their work, according to this 2021 ADA study.

Meanwhile, emotional stress can stem from the isolation of running one’s own practice, which the Centers for Disease Control cites as a contributing factor for suicide. While dentists are in close contact with other people all day long, they’re also perceived to be people with the potential to cause pain, making it difficult to develop personal relationships with their patients.