Finding the calm amid chaos – Mental health of dentists during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 has challenged health professionals all around the world. Dental practitioners are facing a challenge they were unprepared for. Two years ago, no dentist could have envisioned a situation where every step of every encounter requires personal protective equipment, frequent decontamination of the clinical environment, limiting the daily number of patients, and decreased financial security amid the constant fear of contracting the virus has affected the psychology of the dentists. Psychological distress may negatively affect the decision-making ability of the dentists which in turn might influence patient outcomes and well-being. Solutions need to be devised to attain stability and keep dentistry going. This article provides an overview of proposed mitigation measures. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Patient care, Interpersonal and communication skills, Medical Knowledge, Systems-based practice.