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Mental health in dentistry is under growing strain, with compassion fatigue identified as one of the main issues, but experts agree there are ways to deal with it. By Marina Williams
Caring for patients is central to dental practise, but emotional strain, long hours, and pressure for perfection can take a serious toll.
In January 2024, the FDI General Assembly called for more research into the mental health of oral health professionals and students, citing growing global evidence that the profession’s intense demands can profoundly harm wellbeing.
Compassion fatigue, alongside burnout and stress, continues to be an issue that people in the profession confront as a serious concern.
“The power and impact of compassion fatigue and burnout are real,” says Esther Bacon, from Dental Practitioner Support (DPS), a 24/7 national support service for dental teams.
“As patient numbers, treatment complexity and acuity rise, the emotional impact on caregivers is ever-evolving.”
Compassion fatigue, initially associated with health professions such as nursing and emergency medicine, is the emotional and physical exhaustion from consistently supporting others who are in distress.
Associate Professor Matt Hopcraft of the Melbourne Dental School says research done a few years ago into the mental health of Australian dental practitioners bears this out.
A 2021 study published in the Australian Dental Journal found that 24.8 per cent of dental professionals showed signs of burnout, 17.6 per cent had recent suicidal thoughts, and more than 25 per cent had been diagnosed with depression. The survey sample included 1483 practitioners—dentists, dental specialists, oral health therapists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and dental prosthetists.
Psychologist Dr Charles Figley calls it “the cost of caring”. In his 1995 study, ‘Compassion fatigue: Toward a new understanding of the costs of caring’, Figley notes that while helping others is rewarding, it can lead to empathy loss, cynicism, and even depression. It erodes the very compassion that draws people to caregiving in the first place.
A/Prof Hopcraft notes that while there is some overlap between compassion fatigue and burnout, they are different things. Burnout stems from chronic workplace stress, “which can result in a loss of empathy, which is why it is often confused with compassion fatigue”, he explains. “Compassion fatigue has been described as secondary trauma or empathy fatigue, the distress that occurs when people are exposed to other people’s suffering.”
Bacon says the call team at DPS sees firsthand the toll such emotional burden can take. “Dental practitioners are often the calm in someone else’s storm,” she says. “But who’s supporting you when you leave the chair and carry that emotional load home?”
Left unaddressed, the emotional toll can lead to burnout, Bacon warns.
“Without accessing the right support at the right time, the build-up of carrying the heavy emotional toll of compassion fatigue can lead to a sense of burnout, potential breakdown of relationships and businesses, and risk of performance issues.”
Pressure cooker
As treatments grow more complex and patient expectations rise, dental professionals may be absorbing more emotional pressure than they realise.
Dentistry is stressful. Factors include time pressure, perfectionism, fear of litigation, demanding and unrealistic patient expectations, anxious patients, professional isolation, business pressures, staffing problems, regulatory demands and negative public perceptions of dentists.
A/Prof Matt Hopcraft, Melbourne Dental School
“Dentistry is stressful,” A/Prof Hopcraft says. “Factors include time pressure, perfectionism, fear of litigation, demanding and unrealistic patient expectations, anxious patients, professional isolation, business pressures, staffing problems, regulatory demands and negative public perceptions of dentists, all contributing to burnout or poor mental health.”
Despite concerns about the impact of compassion fatigue on the dental profession, more research into the topic is needed, particularly in the post-pandemic work landscape.
“There is a need to go back and conduct this research again to look at changes, and to see whether the greater focus on practitioner wellbeing has been having an impact,” A/Prof Hopcraft says.
While more data is needed, support systems are already helping practitioners manage the emotional demands of the job. A/Prof Hopcraft points to DPS, which is funded by the Dental Board of Australia and Ahpra, and the Mindful Smiles Hub—online resources offering tailored wellbeing strategies for the profession.
“We often focus on clinicians, but all members of the dental team can experience stress, and it’s therefore important that support services are available to all.”
Checking in
Some practices now build in check-ins, peer debriefs, and mental health CPD. Across the sector, previously taboo topics are becoming part of everyday dialogue. “In working collaboratively with key stakeholders from the dental sector we destigmatise and demystify the myths about mental health and accessing help,” says Bacon, who echoes the need for a whole practice approach and a culture of care and connection.
“It’s about normalising check-ins and creating space to ask how a colleague’s really doing,” she says. “If someone is withdrawing, showing signs of emotional exhaustion or just not themselves, we need to feel empowered to check in.”
Still, the need for more education and wellbeing programs persists, including training leaders and promoting support resources. “In a profession built on care we need to remember that care goes both ways,” Bacon says.
“Ongoing leadership from professional bodies and regulators is essential—not just one-off campaigns, but sustained commitment. Mental health must be on the agenda all year round.”
Caring for vulnerable patients shouldn’t come at the cost of practitioners’ own wellbeing, A/Prof Hopcraft says. As the profession evolves, so too must the support systems that protect those drawn to dentistry by their care and precision.
While challenges remain, both A/Prof Hopcraft and Bacon agree that the sector is slowly becoming more open, with increasing collaboration and conversations about mental health.
“There’s a growing interest in DPS,” Bacon says. “The sector is slowly embracing the idea that seeking support isn’t weakness—it’s essential.”
