Sustainable human resource is one of the main issues in healthcare delivery and the way hospital dentists work has a significant impact on oral and dental healthcare services. This study is the first large-scale nationwide survey aiming to investigate the working hours including the working environment among hospital dentists in Japan. A total of 2914 hospital dentists responded to self-administered questionnaires from general hospitals (GHs) and medical educational institutions (MEIs) across the country. Among full-time dentists, the younger generation (i.e., those in their 20s and 30s) of both male and female dentists working in GHs engage in over 40 h of in-hospital clinical practice per week, apart from their self-learning hours. In contrast, the middle-aged dentists (i.e., those in their 40s and 50s) at MEIs work for more than 50 h on average due to the added teaching and research responsibilities. In a multiple logistic regression model using “more than 60 h of work per week” as the dependent variable, higher ORs (Odds Ratios) were found in males (OR = 1.83, 95%CI 1.50–2.22), MEIs (OR = 1.92, 1.52–2.42), and individuals specializing in dental and oral surgery (OR = 1.85, 1.47–2.32). Task-shifting was requested by 22.6% of the respondents for preventive care and dental guidance. Only a few male dentists experienced taking a parental leave and the peak distribution of working hours was shorter for females working in GHs. The support for child-rearing in the work environment is still insufficient and a consensus on the involvement of male dentists in childcare is needed.

中文翻译：

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日本医院牙医工作时间和工作环境的全国性调查

可持续的人力资源是医疗服务交付中的主要问题之一，医院牙医的工作方式对口腔和牙科医疗服务产生重大影响。这项研究是首次大规模的全国性调查，旨在调查日本医院牙医的工作时间，包括工作环境。共有2914名医院牙医回答了来自全国各地综合医院（GH）和医学教育机构（MEI）的自我管理问卷。在专职牙医中，在GH中工作的男性和女性牙医的年轻一代（即20多岁和30多岁的牙医）除了自学时间外，每周还要进行40个小时以上的院内临床实践。相比之下，中年牙医（即 由于增加了教学和研究责任，在MEIs的40和50年代的人平均工作50小时以上。在使用“每周工作超过60小时”作为因变量的多元logistic回归模型中，男性（OR = 1.83，95％CI 1.50–2.22），MEI（OR = 1.92）发现较高的OR（几率） （1.52–2.42）以及专门从事牙科和口腔手术的人员（OR = 1.85，1.47–2.32）。22.6％的受访者要求进行任务转移以提供预防保健和牙科指导。只有少数男性牙医经历过育儿假，而在GH中工作的女性的工作时间高峰期较短。在工作环境中对抚养子女的支持仍然不足，需要就男性牙医参与育儿达成共识。