Prioritize well-being this Mental Health Awareness Month with ADA resources

Association provides access to Well-Being Index, CE courses

The American Dental Association offers a variety of resources to help dentists prioritize their well-being during Mental Health Awareness Month and every other month of the year.

“Healthy dentists and dental team members are essential to safe, high-quality patient care,” said Jennifer Thompson, D.D.S., chair of the ADA Council on Dental Practice. “This Mental Health Awareness Month, take a few minutes to use the ADA’s Well-Being Index — an anonymous, validated assessment designed for healthcare professionals. It’s quick, easy to use, and connects you to ADA and state-specific resources to support your well-being. I also encourage you to explore the ADA’s CE courses, which offer practical strategies for maintaining your own health and building confidence in supporting patients’ overall health, including mental health.”

The Well-Being Index, developed by Mayo Clinic to address clinician distress and well-being, consists of nine questions evaluating providers’ risk of fatigue, depression, burnout and anxiety. Each year, the index compiles assessment results in the State of Well-Being Report, which offers a comprehensive look at key trends, risks and opportunities in healthcare.

The report stratifies results across four categories: distressed, struggling, OK and thriving — showing the distribution of providers across the continuum based on their index scores. Participants who are distressed or struggling are more at risk for burnout, severe fatigue, medical error, turnover, suicidal ideation and poorer overall quality of life, according to the index.

The ADA-licensed version of the index connects participants directly to resources from the ADA and many state dental associations. Users can continue to take the assessment at a selected frequency and reference their results on a personal dashboard. Early trends show that when users reassess over time, there is potential for them to move to a less distressed category — for example, from distressed to struggling or from struggling to OK or thriving.

The ADA also offers wellness-focused continuing education. Putting Your Oxygen Mask on First: Prioritizing Health and Well-Being in Dentistry provides practical strategies and tools to support mental health, reduce burnout and promote resilience among dentists and their teams. Through the course, participants will recognize the importance of safeguarding their mental and physical health, examine the ADA’s advocacy efforts to support dental workforce well-being, and understand the significance of the ADA’s ongoing initiatives.

In addition to CE focused on dentists’ mental health, the ADA has launched a new course to help them feel confident in supporting their patients’ overall well-being. Trauma Informed Dentistry: Providing Care with Compassion and Awareness equips dental providers to recognize and respond to patients who have experienced trauma and may enter the dental setting with heightened anxiety, fear or physiological stress responses. The trauma could be from previous dental encounters, medical procedures or life events.

The course introduces dental professionals to the principles of trauma-informed care and demonstrates how small shifts in language, operatory setup and procedural workflow can lead to better patient experiences. Through discussion, examples and practical strategies, participants will learn how to identify trauma triggers, reduce retraumatization and build trusting, compassionate relationships with patients — ultimately improving patient satisfaction, treatment acceptance and clinical outcomes.

To access and learn more about the ADA’s wellness resources, visit ADA.org/wellness.