Letters to the Editor

Could this modern phenomenon known as ‘burn-out’ relate to a form of frustration? Which, if understood and resolved, could stop the high attrition rates seen in NHS staff. Burn-out is thought to result from long-term unresolved job stress.¹ However, my preliminary data, on adult-learning (AL) in dental professionals, suggests a need to rethink the current interventions and strategies.

Understanding what knowledge is and how to use it may turn out to be AL.² Dentists can choose from three approaches and this may be contributing to a three-way conflict in general practice, leading to ‘frustration’, known as ‘burn-out’. To explore this phenomenon, this letter discusses, in context, the background literature; next, proposes the reasons for frustration, and considers the implications of this study's findings.

Adult-learning seems to go beyond the mere transfer of new knowledge, found in pedagogy, and could be associated with dental professionals starting to deconstruct their existing knowledge and starting to use it, instead.³