Letters to the Editor

Last week another dentist took their own life. I'm aware of three others during COVID, which is four too many. All were male, all were not young and, as far as I'm aware, none had reached out for help.

Dentistry can be a stressful profession in which the importance of mental health is often overlooked, and the uncertainty about where to seek help can be overwhelming. Over time, this has led to high rates of depression and suicide among dental professionals in the UK. In order to improve the situation and work towards prevention, the helpline Confidental was founded, which offers emotional support for dentists and is provided by their peers.

The purpose of Confidental is to provide emotional first aid around the clock for dentists in distress. The helpline is manned by trained volunteers who are all dentists and give their time freely in order to listen to colleagues. They are not judgemental and may often be able to trigger a cathartic point from which the caller can begin to think about the right solutions for themselves. Sometimes we can offer callers signposting to others who are best able to provide further assistance. Frequently, we are told by callers that merely having the time to talk about their concerns has been extremely helpful.