Mental Health and Wellbeing Support for all Members of the Dental Team Across Australia

Many members of the dental team experience struggles with their mental health and wellbeing, and up to 60% of people with a mental illness will not seek help. The Mindful Smiles Hub aims to bring together resources and support for dental practitioners to help overcome stigma and improve mental health and wellbeing.

Research shows dental practitioners experience a high burden of mental health issues, but there is a reluctance to seek support and talk openly about mental health, leading to poorer outcomes. Knowing where to find appropriate support is important, as is the need to be proactive in looking after your wellbeing.

Check-in on your mental health with this free and quick mental health assessment from the Black Dog Institute.

It’s time for that to end.

There is strength, not weakness, in asking for help. The Mindful Smiles Hub is designed to provide information, resources and practical steps to help all members of the dental team to achieve wellbeing and find support throughout Australia.

As dental practitioners 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.

  • Dental practitioners experience a high burden of mental health issues, but there is a reluctance to seek support and talk openly about mental health, with poorer outcome likely as a result.

    Many dental practitioners experience struggles with their mental health and wellbeing, and up to 60% of people with a mental illness will not seek help. The Mindful Smiles Hub aims to bring together resources and support for dental practitioners to help overcome stigma and improve mental health and wellbeing.

Research has shown that occupational stress is common amongst the dental profession and is a key driver of burnout and mental ill health.

Dental practitioners practice in a stressful environment due to highly demanding technical skills and the imperative of striving for perfection.

They have long been recognised as having high levels of professional stress due in part to some of the unique aspects of dental practice, including the demands of meeting patients' expectations, time and scheduling pressures (running on time and not keeping patients waiting), anxious, challenging or dissatisfied patients and professional isolation from colleagues.

  • Fear of litigation, patient complaints, pressures associated with running a small business (such as financial, human resources and industrial relations matters) and negative public perceptions of dentists also contribute to the stress experienced by dental practitioners. This is reflected in high levels of burnout, harmful use of alcohol, particularly amongst male dentists and psychological distress.

    These problems can affect individuals at any stage of their career. There has traditionally been a reluctance amongst the dental profession to speak about personal problems, including mental ill health, and seek support. This can be driven by concerns about confidentiality, embarrassment, and the impact of health disclosures for professional registration. Not all dental professionals are aware of the appropriate support that addresses their unique professional roles and concerns.

What does wellbeing feel like?

Ideally when people are feeling well, they are:

  • Sleeping well

  • Eating well

  • Exercising well

  • Practicing mindfulness

  • Having healthy social interactions

Like they say in airline safety briefings, it’s important to put on your own safety mask before helping others. That’s why it’s important as a health practitioner to prioritise your own mental health, so that you can do what you do best - help others.

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  • Stress in dentistry is a constant battle – however I feel that many workplaces make this situation worse with the mistreatment of their staff, or unwillingness to comply with important changes such as infection control updates, or advertising policies. Contracted and employed dentists often have NO control over the way the practice is run, and cannot change things even when change is necessary. This causes huge amounts of stress on young dentists trying to do the right thing.

    Female oral health therapist, 31–40 years, QLD, Outer Metropolitan, Public sector.

  • I am definitely feeling more burnt out. I deal mainly with children and have noticed since covid that they are much more difficult to treat behaviour wise and also have more dental disease. Sometimes I feel like we're fighting a never ending battle that only seems to get harder. Thanks for doing this survey. I think it's so important, now more than ever.

    Female oral health therapist, 31–40 years, QLD, Outer Metropolitan, Public sector.

  • Dentistry is stressful and draining and it seems so common across the profession to feel this way. Is it the patient expectation? Is it that we have high levels of empathy to start with in order for us to seek dentistry as a career choice?!

    Female dentist, 31–40 years, WA, Inner Metropolitan, Both public and private sector.

  • It's an isolating and tough job. More so in recent times where all the stress and anxiety of patients is passed to us. The expectations of patients that they are paying for a cure is a lot. Ahpra and the constant reminders of writing pages of notes, consents and knowing it will still never hold up is so tiring. Best thing a dentist can do is make enough to find a way put of this job.

    Male dentist, 31–40 years, QLD, Rural, Private practice.

  • Practitioners "showing-off" their "perfect" cases on forums on social media can be unrealistic and younger practitioners can then feel increased stress to achieve these, generally unlikely outcomes. You don't generally see the "bad" cases shown which is more realistic to everyday dental practice. It would be useful for the younger generation to be well aware of these types of expectations and falling into the trap which could lead to further stress.

    Male dental specialist, 41–50 years, VIC, Inner metropolitan, Private practice.