Some worrying statistics have been revealed about the mental health of dentists in a new survey of the profession.
The majority of those taking part in the Dentistry Confidence Monitor survey believe their current role has negatively affected their mental health.
Although, there is a big difference between those in the NHS and those in the private sector, with 84% of NHS dentists and 51% of private dentists saying it’s had a negative effect.
There is also a sizable gap between the number of NHS (92%) and private (21%) dentists who feel unhappy about their ability to carry out their work without feeling overly stressed.
There were also high levels of anxiety around the ability to meet the standards set by the GDC, with 48% of private and 86% of NHS dentists describing themselves as anxious or very anxious about this.
Bearing these figures in mind, it is concerning that 72% of all surveyed dentists said they weren’t confident about their knowledge of which organisation to turn to should they feel overly stressed or worried about their mental health.
The survey was carried out by our sister company Practice Plan between April and June 2019.
As well as providing insight into the mental health of the profession, the survey also delved into dentists’ feelings and knowledge about contract reform.
The majority of both NHS and predominantly private dentists say they think it is important for the current contract to change but believe contract reform will increase their workload and decrease their profitability.
They also admit to not having much confidence in their knowledge of the proposed new contract. However, they believe it will not work well for them or their patients, but will work well for government.
Dentists were also asked about their future career plans, recruitment and confidence in the GDC as part of the survey
Access the report to view the full survey results and see what leaders in dentistry think they indicate about the state of the profession.
