Objectives. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychological condition affecting individuals of diverse age groups. Persistent fear and anxiety related to contamination pose a risk to the mental health of dentists and can result in irrational actions and judgments impairing dental care they offer to patients. The study aimed to examine the incidence of OCD symptoms and its associated emotional disturbance in dental healthcare workers in Jordan.

Material and methods. This study was based on a cross-sectional online survey. A total of 787 participants were included 354 (44%) were dentists (general practitioners and specialists) and 433 (55%) were other dental professionals (dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dental technicians). The survey incorporated three instruments for survey (i) socio-demographic form, (ii) Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale-Abridge (DOCS-A), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).

Results. The study found a positive and strong correlation between the BAI scores and the scores of sub-dimensions of DOCS-A indicating an association between emotional disturbance and OCD symptoms. It is also revealed that obsession and compulsion related to contamination were higher among dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dental technicians in comparison to dentists.

Conclusions. Obsessive thoughts (about causes hurting others and their selves) were higher in dentists than in their supporting dentistry team (dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dental technicians).