Almost eight in ten dental professionals in the UK (76%) say they have gone to work or continued to work despite their mental health suffering according to a survey by Dental Protection.
In the Dental Protection survey of more than 1,600 dental professionals in the UK – including dentists, dental nurses, hygienists and therapists – two thirds (66%) said they feel guilty if they take time off due to mental wellbeing issues.
Almost half of the respondents (49%) said they feel they should keep working even when their mental health is suffering, and a similar number (47%) said there was nobody else to cover for them if they did not attend.
Over half (56%) cited financial reasons for continuing to work, while a third (33%) said it was due to the pressure to meet demand for NHS appointments, and the target driven culture.
Dental professionals who took part said working while their mental health is suffering had led to a loss of concentration (56%), a lack of empathy with patients (46%) and being more fearful of making mistakes (46%). Around a third (34%) suspected it may have contributed to a lower standard of care. 29% said there had been no effect on patients.
Yvonne Shaw, Deputy Dental Director at Dental Protection said: “It does not surprise me that dental professionals put their patients’ interests above their own.
“It is however distressing that such a large proportion of colleagues say they are continuing to work despite not feeling mentally well enough to do so. The reasons cited highlight the pressures of delivering NHS care and unrelenting demands of managing patient backlogs and meeting targets, alongside financial pressures and lack of cover.
“The current pressures are unsustainable and dental professionals must feel able to take time off to recuperate or seek support. We see the impact of burn-out and the sad reality of colleagues having to take extended time off work, or even leaving dentistry altogether. Alongside this, working when our mental health is suffering can adversely impact the delivery of patient care which those taking part in our survey have shared.
“At Dental Protection, we continue to campaign for the delivery of key reforms that we know could benefit dental professionals’ wellbeing. These include expansion and better use of the dental workforce, NHS contract reform and addressing access to care, alongside the introduction of measures that support dental teams to deliver optimised patient care and ensure appropriate remuneration.
“The Government is expected to set out a 10-year NHS strategy soon and a key plank must be providing a clear timetable for NHS contract reform. A realistic new model for the provision of NHS dental care is urgently required to improve the working conditions for dental professionals, thereby protecting patients and safeguarding the future of NHS dentistry.
“I would also like to remind Dental Protection members, that we offer a 24/7 counselling service as a benefit of membership, for colleagues experiencing stress that they feel could impact their practice. The service is entirely confidential and independent of Dental Protection.”
Dental professionals who participated in the Dental Protection survey commented anonymously:
“More awareness from the general public about the pressures of the job and how that may affect [our] mental health will hopefully lead to more empathy and understanding from patients.”
“I just hate the way I feel and I dislike not wanting to engage as much with patients. I don’t like feeling impatient but the sooner they have gone and sooner I get home the better.”
“I care about my patients and really try to do my best by them, but I push myself and my wellbeing to the side to try to do this. I end up feeling overwhelmed and burst into tears between appointments, but often feel like I’ve no choice but to keep pushing forward. I’m scared of doing something wrong.”
“I know I’m going to crack at some point I just don’t know how or when but the stresses at home and the pressure to perform at work is just overwhelming at the moment and I’ve been told to leave everything at the door on my way into work because personal problems shouldn’t be brought to work.”
“If I don’t see my patients, there is nobody else in the practice who will. I feel the burden of responsibility, and trying not to let people down.”
“There are always negative comments from patients if you have to cancel even if it is from sickness. There is also the financial impact of no sick pay and targets to hit.”
“I feel like if I take time off I then need to work harder to fulfil my contract. If my contract gets decreased it will have financial implications.”
“Because access is so difficult, if patients are cancelled, there is a long wait to get them booked back in again. Then if you are frequently unwell, patients get cancelled multiple times which can lead to complaints and more stress so you feel it is better to go in and see them to avoid a spiralling effect.”
“For dental professionals, therapists and hygienists there is no support/ legal backup as we are self-employed. The result is we have to work in different places as there is no employment security. That’s our pressure mentally.”
