Sir, prompted by recent BDJ content on dentists' suicides1 I instigated a two-question poll on a dental discussion site in an effort to gain a better understanding of profession-related stressors and their effects. The first asked whether the respondent had considered suicide when under severe professional stress and if so, the stage to which it was taken. The second asked which element of a professional investigation a respondent found to be most stressful. The polling system was anonymous and limited in nature and so it is not possible to know if a respondent answered one or both questions or answered one twice.

The poll received a total of 98 votes, 66 for the question on suicide and 32 for that on the greatest stressor. Could this be taken to suggest that approximately half the most stressful episodes experienced by participants were associated with some form of formal investigation? Of the participants who answered the first question, 57.6% (n = 38) had never considered suicide, 36.4% (n = 24) had considered suicide, 4.5% (n = 3) had planned committing suicide and 1.5% (n = 1) had attempted committing suicide. If this is a reasonable reflection of the profession as a whole, then many colleagues suffer a disturbing level of anxiety as a consequence of profession related stress.

Of the respondents who answered the second question, 34.4% (n = 11) reported GDC investigation as the greatest cause of stress, for 31.3% (n = 10) it was communicating with the patient, for 21.9% (n = 7) their defence body, for 9.4% (n = 3) counter fraud investigation and for 3.1% (n = 1) it was their non-defence body legal team. It should be acknowledged that other stressors such as family, financial and social effects might have been most relevant to some colleagues.

If the responses for these two questions are representative of the profession as a whole, then it should be assumed that approximately two in five will at least contemplate suicide and that over 5% may plan or attempt suicide. When considered together the results for both questions suggest that all professional bodies associated with professional investigations should be aware of the potentially severe psychological effects on the dentist. They also suggest that there are grounds for early referral to appropriate support services in such circumstances.