Dentistry and mental health: The need for psychological interventions

Khwaja M. BDJ In Pract 2023; 36: 16-17.

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'It has never been more important to double down on positive wellbeing. Dentistry is a high-stress vocation with elevated rates of anxiety, depression, burnout, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Chronic workplace stress is a growing concern as it can severely damage the mental health of dental professionals and negatively impact their ability to provide appropriate care.

Psychological interventions have been shown to benefit the wellbeing and emotional resilience of the medical and healthcare community greatly, yet resources in dentistry that provide preventative tools are limited.'

The introductory words of author Mahrukh Khwaja - aka Mind Ninja. Stress and burnout are huge talking points within dentistry, and this article by Mahrukh discusses why wellbeing is crucial to your future success - and more importantly how to take proactive steps to try and reach it. You can read the full article at: www.nature.com/articles/s41404-023-1910-4.

How to provide care for patients in eating disorder recovery

Pritchard E. BDJ In Pract 2023; 36: 24-25.

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The term eating disorder encompasses a broad range of disorders and symptoms, but can be summarised as a mental health condition in which people use disordered and controlled eating to cope with difficult feelings or situations, and who better to discuss providing care to patients in recovery than someone who has been through it?

In this article you'll learn key things about how best dental practitioners can discuss eating disorders with patients, classis - if well-meaning - mistakes - as well as advice and how to spot signs of an ED in your patient. Want to find out how? Check out the full article at: www.nature.com/articles/s41404-023-1939-4.