Dental therapist job satisfaction and intention to leave: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Dental therapy is a mid-level oral health profession that was introduced to the South African health system more than four decades ago, during the apartheid era. The purpose for the introduction of this profession was to meet the oral health needs of the underserved majority population1,2,3. However, even with the dismantling of apartheid and the creation of a democratic state, disparities in access to basic oral healthcare persist.1 Local studies have reported limited access to oral health services, especially among the disadvantaged and vulnerable population groups where the highest burden of oral diseases has been reported.4,5,6