Self-Compassion Against Burnout in Dentistry

January 27, 2025 updated by: Cenk Haytac, Cukurova University

Self-Compassion As a Well-Being Strategy Against Occupational Burnout in Dentistry: a Controlled Clinical Trial

Although studies have highlighted the relationship between stress-related psychopathological symptoms and changes in biochemical parameters, no study in dentistry has concurrently evaluated the association of stress and relaxation with biochemical markers and psychological parameters. Moreover, the impact of mindfulness-based self-compassion training programs on these variables has yet to be explored within this context. To enhance the well-being of dentists, an evaluation of a test group participating in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) program was conducted. This assessment included daily cortisol curves, as well as salivary IL-6, IL-1β, and oxytocin levels. Additionally, empathy, burnout, self-compassion, depression, and mindfulness levels were measured before and after the training. In this study, the main hypothesis was that, compared to the control group, the test group would exhibit lower IL-1β, IL-6, and cortisol levels, along with higher oxytocin levels. Furthermore, as the secondary hypotheses was that the test group would demonstrate increased empathy, self-compassion, and mindfulness levels, accompanied by reductions in depression and burnout scores.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
49

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey
    • Balcali
      • Adana, Balcali, Turkey, 01130
        • Cukurova University Faculty of Dentistry

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • dentists in their final year of specialty training at the Faculty of Dentistry,
  • systemicaly healthy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • individuals who received a diagnosis of mood disorders based on DSM-5 criteria following a standard diagnostic assessment conducted by psychiatrists from the Department of Psychiatry

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Test group (Self Compassion Training group)
Behavioral: Mindfulness based Self compassion
All participants in the test group completed the 8-week MBCL (Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living) training, consisting of 2-hour sessions per week, in accordance with the MBCL training protocol. Training was conducted by one expert periodontist who is also an internationally certified MBCL instructor
No Intervention: Control group (No training)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-Compassion Scale
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks
The 6 subscales that comprise the 26-item self-compassion scale are self-kindness, self-judgment , common humanity , isolation , mindfulness and over-identification Participants indicate their responses to each item using a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (Almost Never) to 5 (Almost Always). Higher score indicates greater self-compassion.
Baseline and after 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Saliva Cortisol
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks
Saliva sampling for the daily cortisol curve was scheduled for both the test and control groups. For the test group, samples were collected before the commencement of the MBCL (Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living) training (T1) and after its completion (T2). For the control group, saliva collection was aligned with the same time periods with the test group. Samples were collected five times per day at specific time points: 30 minutes after waking, at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 5:00 PM, and 10:00 PM (with group reminders provided at designated times). Salivary cortisol was estimated by solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (DiaMetra, Boldon, UK) in ng/ml. The procedure was done as per the manufacturer guidelines on saliva samples.
Baseline and after 8 weeks
Saliva IL 6
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks
IL-6 levels were measured in pg/ml using the commercial kit ELISA according to the instructions of the producer.
Baseline and after 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Cukurova University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 11, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 12, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 20, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 27, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 27, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Cukurova University DHF-11

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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