A survey of dentists in the UK has revealed the key issues affecting their mental wellbeing during the pandemic.
In the Dental Protection survey of nearly 500 dental professionals, five in 10 (53%) said financial worries were having the most impact on their mental wellbeing. Lack of work and lack of adequate PPE were cited by nearly 4 in 10 (37% and 38% respectively).
The survey also shows that dentists are more concerned about their patients’ health, than their own, with 43% saying concern for the health of patients is having the most impact on their mental wellbeing, and 34% saying they are concerned for their own health.
In March 2020, Dental Protection announced a support package, worth the equivalent of two months’ subscription for free, to acknowledge the concerns of dentists who have experienced a significant drop in their workload and a dramatic fall in income due to Covid-19.
In addition, it extended its counselling service for those dentists experiencing work-related stress due to the crisis. The service is provided through a third-party partner and is completely confidential.
Last week Dental Protection also reassured all members in England who choose to return to work that they will continue to be supported and set out some points for those operating in the private sector to consider when making the decision.
Raj Rattan, Dental Director at Dental Protection said:
“Dentists are among the most dedicated healthcare professionals in the world. I am not surprised that so many have put the concerns of their patients’ health before their own in this survey.
“The extent to which financial worries are impacting on our members’ mental wellbeing is also evident and concerning. We hope that the subscription relief we have provided has made some difference, along with access to counselling.
“Many dentists have been hard-hit by the loss of income in recent months with the private sector most affected. It is difficult to predict how long it will take before practice activity returns to levels seen prior to the pandemic.
“We want to reassure all members that Dental Protection is here to offer support and in the event of a claim, complaint, or related inquiry arising from your decision to re-open, we are here if you need to request assistance.”
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Notes to editors
The survey was conducted by the independent market research organisation, Research By Design www.researchbydesign.co.uk. It ran from 18th to 29th May and achieved 484 responses from dental members in the UK.
For further information contact: Patricia Canedo at [email protected] +44(0)7976 378216.
About Dental Protection
Dental Protection is a registered trademark and a trading name of The Medical Protection Society Limited (“MPS”). MPS is the world’s leading protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. We protect and support the professional interests of more than 300,000 members around the world. Membership provides access to expert advice and support and can also provide, depending on the type of membership required, the right to request indemnity for any complaints or claims arising from professional practice.
Our in-house experts assist with the wide range of legal and ethical problems that arise from professional practice. This can include clinical negligence claims, complaints, medical and dental council inquiries, legal and ethical dilemmas, disciplinary procedures, inquests and fatal accident inquiries.
Our philosophy is to support safe practice in medicine and dentistry by helping to avert problems in the first place. We do this by promoting risk management through our workshops, E-learning, clinical risk assessments, publications, conferences, lectures and presentations.
MPS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MPS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.