Dentists and other members of the dental team can face high levels of demand in their day-to-day work that exceed their abilities to cope, ultimately affecting their work and well-being. Supporting members of the dental team in such circumstances is essential to maintain a healthy workforce and to ensure patients get the best possible care. To help institutions help dentists and dental teams who may find themselves in need of support, FDI has launched a digital toolkit to promote Mental health and well-being in the dental workplace.

Support the well-being of oral health professionals at the individual, organizational and national levels

The mental health and well-being in the dental workplace toolkit is aimed at providing National Dental Associations (NDAs) with the appropriate information and tools to provide support to dentists and dental teams within their countries. The toolkit aids advocacy efforts aimed at promoting the well-being of oral health professionals and the establishment of in-country mental health services to support the oral healthcare workforce.

The resources in the toolkit will also help raise global awareness of and remove the stigma surrounding mental health in dentistry. They also provide oral health professionals with the information and tools to manage mental health difficulties for all employees in the dental practice, including themselves.

Some of the tools include individual questionnaires to assess the situation, a template letter to advocate with relevant authorities and an example of a national survey on mental health that countries can implement. The toolkit is organized into three levels of action, including at the oral health professional or individual level, the organizational level, and the national or system level. Each level of action is composed by three main sections: Determine, Do, and Discuss. The determine section provides recommendations to help assess mental health and well-being; the do section includes recommendations and plans of action tailored for the different levels; and the discuss section includes communication tools and recommendations to advocate and promote mental health and well-being.

The Health and Safety in the Dental Workplace project is supported by Morita

Access the toolkit