Mental wellbeing for dental practitioners

Looking after yourself matters too

Small, regular check-ins, with yourself and the colleagues around you, can make a real difference to your mental wellbeing as a dentist. You're often busy looking after other people and may find that you don't care for yourself. There can be times when your work will put a strain on you personally and things may seem overwhelming. Should this happen to you, don't feel alone - there are lots of options to help in tough times.

Dental Practitioner Support Helpline (Funded by the Dental Board of Australia, provided by Turning Point) is a 24/7 national support service dedicated to providing dental practitioners with access to confidential advice and referral about their health and wellbeing. Dental Practitioner Support is here for all dental practitioners, students, employers, educators and concerned family and friends. They provide confidential advice, promote better health for dental practitioners and students, and safer care for the public.

Phone: 1800 377 700 Visit: dpsupport.org.au

Check out pages 57 & 58 of our Dental Graduate Handbook for a hypothetical step by step scenario of a dental practitioner calling the DPS support line.

The ADA have a range of policies for practices to incorporate for the wellbeing of their staff, located in the ADA Human Resources Hub , such as the EEO, Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment Policy and the Mental Health Policy.

📌 Additional resources:

Want to know more about how DPS can help

Read an interview with Esther Bacon, the stakeholder engagement coordinator at Ahpra's Dental Practitioner Support.

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Mental health in focus: Identifying burnout

Identifying early signs of burnout allows you to put measures in place to prevent the consequences of burnout.

HR update: Fostering a healthy workplace

A positive workplace cultivates ideals, policies and procedures which promote the mental health of employees.

Health and safety in the dental workplace

These practical tools will help you improve health and safety for all the oral healthcare in your workplace.

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Most ADA state branches have a helpline to provide personal advice to members facing health challenges. The advice provided often relates to stress, mental illness and drug and alcohol use; however, you can also contact them to discuss other personal or financial difficulties. They deal with a range of issues, from those that may seem minor to very serious concerns. If you suspect a problem, consult a GP. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your GP, you can access the ADA service in your state

The following services are only available to members of the specific state branches. For national support, please contact DPS with the information provided above.

Western Australia

Members in WA with ADAWA’s scheme insurer (MDA/DPL) are encouraged to use the Dental Protection Wellbeing Hub, which includes a confidential counselling service to support you through a stressful case or claim. Find out more:

Join via ADAWA

Victoria

The Member Assistance Program provided by TELUS Health (formerly LifeWorks), including access to the TELUS Health Wellbeing Platform. TELUS Health will help you to identify, explore and manage any issues impacting your life, which can include depression, stress, career path issues, work life balance and more. All counsellors are highly professional qualified psychologists and social workers, with peak industry body accreditation and experience.

Find out more

Tasmania

Find out more

Queensland

ADAQ in partnership with The Wellness Workshop are pleased to offer members access to Australia's only multi-dimensional Member Assistance Program. All current ADAQ members and their dental team will have access to book up to 3 x 1-hour sessions in the 12-month period between 1 June - 31 May annually. You can either choose to have all sessions with one practitioner or service or spread your sessions out across various services.

Find out more

CPD Resources

Minding your mental health

Understand the common mental health issues experienced by members of the dental team and their prevalence.

Watch CPD

Mental health for dentists: how to avoid burnout

Identify the signs of burnout and learn the strategies to self-manage your stress and to assist others.

Watch CPD

DSV disclosures and vicarious trauma

Practitioners need to be aware about how DFSV disclosures can affect them and how to care for themselves.

Watch CPD

Communication series: Breaking up with patients

How to communicate with patients when you think your patient-practitioner relationship is not compatible.

Watch CPD

Emergency help

In an emergency, please call the numbers below:

Fire, Ambulance or Police - 000

Lifeline - 13 1114

Suicide Call Back Service -1300 659 467