# Chronobiology-Driven Anti-Aging Strategies for Enhancing Dentists’ Occupational Health and Quality of Life: A Narrative Review

## TL;DR

This review explores how biological aging and chronomedicine can help improve dentists' health and quality of life by addressing occupational stress and lifestyle factors.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel preventive framework for dentists by linking occupational stressors to biological aging and chronomedicine.

## Key findings

- Dentists experience high occupational stress, musculoskeletal pain, and poor mental health.
- Lifestyle factors like poor sleep and inactivity accelerate biological aging in dentists.
- A preventive framework based on chronomedicine is proposed to improve dentists' long-term well-being.

## Abstract

Background: Dentists constitute one of the most heavily burdened groups of healthcare professionals, experiencing high levels of musculoskeletal disorders, occupational stress, burnout, and diminished quality of life. Although extensive literature addresses these issues, no study has directly examined biological age or epigenetic markers of aging in this population. This narrative review, informed by systematic methodological principles, seeks to fill this gap by connecting established occupational stressors with contemporary concepts of biological aging and chronomedicine, ultimately proposing a preventive well-being framework specifically for dentists. Methods: A narrative review informed by systematic methodology was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches in PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library (2015–2025) used combined keywords and MeSH terms related to lifestyle factors, occupational stress, musculoskeletal disorders, quality of life, and wellness among dentists. Of the 943 records identified, 15 met the inclusion criteria and were assessed for outcomes, methodological quality, and relevant risk factors. Results: The included studies consistently indicated a significant occupational burden, with musculoskeletal pain, emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and depersonalization as frequent findings. Quality of life was generally moderate to low, especially regarding mental health. Lifestyle patterns were characterized by inadequate sleep, limited physical activity, irregular eating habits, and insufficient recovery. These conditions-chronic stress, poor sleep, inactivity, and suboptimal nutrition-are recognized accelerators of biological aging, implying that the professional demands of dentistry may adversely influence the biological clock. Although none of the studies measured biological age directly, the collective evidence underscores the need for preventive strategies informed by chronomedicine. Conclusions: This review highlights a critical gap in the dental literature: the complete absence of biological-age assessment in a professional population exposed to multiple aging accelerators. Integrating occupational health data with modern concepts of biological aging and chronomedicine, the study proposes a targeted preventive framework to regulate biological rhythms, reduce cumulative biological deterioration, and improve the long-term quality of life and professional sustainability of dentists.