An initiative of the Dental Board of Australia (the Board), Dental Practitioner Support is a free 24/7 confidential national telephone service providing health support to dental practitioners across Australia. Independent of the Board, the service is administered by Turning Point, a leader in the delivery of telehealth services. Dental practitioners who call the telephone service can talk to experienced counsellors who can help with a wide range of health and wellbeing related issues that may be affecting their practice. Dental Practitioner Support contributes to better health and wellbeing for dental practitioners, and to safer healthcare. The service also provides support to students, educators, employers and concerned family members.
This article first appeared on dpsupport.org.au and is reproduced with their permission.
Issues and challenges that can have a direct and negative impact on the health of dental practitioners and students may be subtle, hard to detect and difficult to articulate.
This checklist has been written to help practitioner and students identify signs and symptoms that may indicate they could be experiencing an emerging health or wellbeing issue.
Changes in behaviour
Changes in patterns of behaviour do not automatically indicate a health issue. However, if a change in behaviour is noticed and is causing concern, this may indicate the need for a discussion with the person regarding their health or wellbeing.
Behavioural changes associated with a health issue can take place over a long period of time, making them difficult to recognise. As a health or wellbeing issue becomes more entrenched and severe, the signs usually become more noticeable.
