[Career expectations and the type of dentist in the light of burnout].

The aim of this study was to measure if dentists with unfulfilled career expectations have higher burnout scores than dentists who succeeded in realising their expectations. Furthermore, the relation between type of dentist and burnout was investigated. It appeared that dentists who experienced reality being worse than expected, showed higher burnout levels, as did dentists putting more interest in life outside practice. It is recommended that attention for realistic career expectations is a regularly recurring topic in dental education. Also, introspection upon the type of dentist one prefers to be is something a professional should not neglect.