An individual-level approach to stress management in dentistry

Abstract

Dentistry has long been described as a stressful profession and evidence points to a range of stressors in some cases quite unique to the dental environment.1 For example, the stress involved when an upper left second molar crown fractures during an extraction at 5 pm on a Friday. In this case the dental nurse has to quickly assemble the surgical kit whilst reassuring the patient (and often the dentist), and other team members who have to stay late and help in cleaning down, manage contaminated instruments and equipment, often when they have somewhere else to be.

Perhaps the trepidation of something going wrong, though no one's fault, adds to this stress as does the worry that a complaint may ensue. This stress can bring about decreased wellbeing, implications to patient care and as a consequence lead to diminished professional standards.2 Whilst skill, experience and organisation can mitigate this stress, what are the key factors that cause stress for the dental team? What signs are there that stress is becoming unmanageable and impacting on mental health? What steps can we take to mitigate this?