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How to manage emotions within dentistry

BDJ In Practice volume 36, pages 19–21 (2023)Cite this article

In the first of a 12-part series, David Rahman, author and mind coach, discusses the need for - and how to manage - emotion in dentistry

As a dentist it is important for you to possess a high degree of equanimity (the ability to remain calm under pressure) so that you can perform at optimum levels of clinical excellence. Looking at the broader scope of a dental environment, there are three groups of people who are directly impacted by a dental professional's emotions:

  1. 1.

    The practice staff

  2. 2.

    The patients

  3. 3.

    Family and friends.

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References

  1. The DDU. News release: Over three quarters of dental professionals feel stressed or anxious on a weekly basis. 13 May 2021. Available online at: www.theddu.com/press-centre/press-releases/over-three-quarters-of-dental-professionals-feel-stressed-or-anxious-on-a-weekly-basis#:~:text=a%20weekly%20basis-,Over%20three%20quarters%20of%20dental%20professionals%20feel%20stressed%20or%20anxious,Dental%20Defence%20Union%20(DDU) (accessed November 2022).

  2. Moore R, Bradsgaard I. Dentists' perceived stress and its relation to perceptions about anxious patients. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2001; 29: 73-80.

  3. Lea R G, Davis S K, Mahoney B and Qualter P. Does Emotional Intelligence Buffer the Effects of Acute Stress? A Systematic Review. Front Psychol 2019; 10: 810.

  4. R L Frazer and Associates. Dentists Who Get Results: The Extraordinary Power of Emotional Intelligence. Available online at: www.frazeronline.com/dentists-who-get-results-the-extraordinary-power-of-emotional-intelligence (accessed November 2022).

  5. The Harvard Gazette. Researchers study how it seems to change the brain in depressed patients. 9 April 2018. Available online at: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/harvard-researchers-study-how-mindfulness-may-change-the-brain-in-depressed-patients/ (accessed November 2022).

  6. Pennebaker J W. Writing about Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process. Psychol Sci 1997; 8: 162-166.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mind Coach, London, United Kingdom

    David Rahman

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  1. David Rahman
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Correspondence to David Rahman.

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Rahman, D. How to manage emotions within dentistry. BDJ In Pract 36, 19–21 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-022-1851-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-022-1851-3

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