Dentists

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High rates of mental illness in dental professionals are thought to be due to a combination of the following factors:

• Confinement – most dentists spend most of their working life in a small room seeing patients. This means their day-to-day routine doesn’t involve much physical activity – work is intricate and meticulous, performed in a restricted oral space. Whilst procedures can be mentally and physically taxing, back troubles and fatigue are common as a result. This type of work can also lead to lack of exercise which is a factor in itself.
• Isolation – most dentists work alone or in a small practice. This therefore means they don’t have the opportunity to share and solve problems with their colleagues the way other professionals groups are able to via peer support.
• Competition – a sense of competition that starts in dental school tends to continue into dental practice
• Perfectionism – as with doctors, a sense of perfectionism is often instilled in dental school (or medical school). This is difficult to maintain, however as dentistry is an imperfect science.
• Economic pressure – due to high training costs and the costs of establishing a practice.
• Time pressures – as with medical practice, a sense of pressure as dentists feel they never have enough time with the patient and the feeling of always running late
• Compromising treatment due to financial constraints – whilst dentists learn the 'ideal' treatment for their patients during training, this is often not possible as the money available from NHS or private patients does not allow for this. This results in the dentist having to compromise treatment options and can lead to frustration as they are unable to reach his or her treatment goals.
• Personality – certain traits (the same as in medical doctors) that characterise a good practitioner are also those which can predispose to mid-life depression, drug and alcohol abuse. These include: compulsive attention to detail, extreme conscientiousness, careful control of emotions, unrealistic expectations of self and others (i.e. employees and patients), a marked dependence on individual performance and prestige.
• Patient anxiety – the psychological stress of working with apprehensive and fearful patients can be very difficult.

Wellbeing Support for the Dental Team

A UK wide resource

This document has been created for all dental team members, including students and non-clinical roles. It outlines how individuals in the dental team can assess their own mental health and wellbeing and it provides resources for self-care, including the range of organisations available to support you and your colleagues.

We recognise the importance of mental health and wellbeing for our patients. However, we may not always recognise or prioritise our own mental health needs. Stress is common amongst the dental profession and is a key driver of burnout and mental ill-health.  These problems can affect individuals at any stage of their career.

For a variety of reasons, there has traditionally been a reluctance amongst the dental profession to speak about and seek support for their personal problems, including mental health. It is time to put an end to that. There is strength, not weakness, in asking for help, and to that end, Wellbeing Support for the Dental Team offers simple and practical steps to know where everyone in the dental profession can find the support they need.

Access the document at Support For Dental Teams

Dental Mentors UK

Dental Mentors UK provides support for all dental professionals who mentor in the UK and maintains an online directory for dental team members looking to find their perfect mentor.

Find a dental mentor