As part of Mental Health Month, Dental Central is focusing on mental health. In this episode Emily and Matt are joined by Professor Marie Bismark – a doctor, psychiatry trainee, lawyer and researcher with qualifications in bioethics and public health, and one of Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Women of Influence in 2019.

We dive into: 

• The experiences of health care workers during the pandemic, detailed in Marie’s book ‘Experiences of Health Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic – in their own words.’
• The importance of recognition for health care workers
• The impact of the ‘health care heroes’ label
• Mental health findings during the pandemic
• Ahpra complaints/notifications and the impact on practitioner wellbeing
• Mental health and mandatory notification

Note: some listeners might find some of this content difficult or confronting. If it does cause distress, there are support services available, including:

• Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636
• Lifeworks - 1300 361 008
• Dental Practitioner Support - 1800 377 700

And don’t forget to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes.

The pandemic declaration in Victoria expired on 12 October, bringing to an end a suite of mandates that have been governing our lives for much of the past two and half years. Although the pandemic isn’t over, with Victoria still seeing more than 9000 cases per week, Emily and Matt discuss what the end of the pandemic declaration means for dental practices in Victoria, including:

• Mandatory vaccination for dental staff
• Isolation and testing requirements
• Measures to reduce transmission in dental practice such as face masks, patient screening, rubber dam and preprocedural mouthrinse

Don’t forget to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes.

* Although we would like to guarantee that no more pandemic updates will be required, given the unpredictable nature of pandemics we can’t be absolutely certain.

As part of Mental Health Month, Dental Central is focusing a series of episodes on mental health and wellbeing.

This week we talk to Dr Peter Baldwin (Clinical Psychologist), the Head of Clinical Research at the Black Dog Institute, the leading mental health research institute in Australia. Peter talks about:

• What the Black Dog Institute does
• How the pandemic has impacted on the mental health of health care workers
• Why overcoming the stigma associated with mental health is so important
• Some of the common mental health issues including anxiety, depression and burnout
• The key issue of suicide
• The Essential Network – resources and support for health practitioners

For more information, go to blackdoginstitute.org.au/the-essential-network

Note: some listeners might find some of this content difficult or confronting. If it does cause distress, there are support services available, including:

• Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636
• Lifeworks - 1300 361 008
• Dental Practitioner Support - 1800 377 700

This week on Dental Central, Emily and Matt talk about how ADAVB is supporting dentists working in the public sector.

The episode focuses on:

• The current enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations
• Why it’s important for the ADAVB to be involved
• Why it’s an important issue for all dentists
• What you can do to help support your colleagues in the public sector

For more information, go to adavb.org/respectpublicdentistry

And don’t forget to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes.

This week on Dental Central we talk to Dr Jane Lynch about working in regional Victoria.

We speak about:

• Why she decided to become a dentist
• Growing up in a small rural town of less than 300 people
• The challenges and benefits of working in regional Victoria, particularly the variety and scope of clinical work
• Experiencing burnout and her comeback to dentistry in the public sector

As Jane says, for those thinking about a move to practice in a regional area or the public sector - ‘embrace the challenge, it’s an adventure.’

If you are experiencing struggles, remember that the ADAVB offers from confidential counselling through Lifeworks on 1300 361 008, or you can call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Dental Practitioner Support on 1800 377 700.

And don’t forget to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes.

This week on Dental Central we speak to the manager of the Community Relations team at ADAVB, Dr Eryn Agnew. We talk to Eryn about:

• Why she decided to become a dentist, and then train as a specialist periodontist.
• How she became involved in the Community Relations team.
• The role of a Community Relations Officer (CRO) and the support they provide to members.
• Some of the common issues that arise when managing patient complaints.
• Key tips to minimise risk.
• The important partnership with ADAVB and Guild Insurance.

For more information on Guild Insurance, go to www.guildinsurance.com.au/dentists

And don’t forget to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes.

This week on Dental Central we update you on everything that you need to know this month:

• The pandemic hasn’t gone away (with around 4,000 cases per day across Victoria), and we talk about the important things that you need to be doing to stay safe at work.
• The impact of the pandemic on dental practice busyness and staff shortages.
• A brief update on the new enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations for public sector dentists.
• Mental health and wellbeing initiatives that the ADAVB is undertaking.

If you are experiencing struggles, remember that the ADAVB offers free confidential counselling through Lifeworks on 1300 361 008, or you can call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Dental Practitioner Support on 1800 377 700.

And don’t forget to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes.

This week on Dental Central, we speak with Dr Mark Wotherspoon about his unique journey in dentistry. Mark trained in Perth, then worked in remote Western Australia and in the school dental service before joining the Army and moving to Wagga Wagga in regional NSW. We talk to Mark about:

• Working in remote communities
• His passion for mobile dentistry and nursing home dental care
• How he became a product innovator and entrepreneur with Dr Mark’s HyGenie - https://drmarkshygenie.com/ 

The ADAVB Convention is coming up on 19-20 August – it’s not too late to register. And don’t forget to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes.

This week on Dental Central, we speak with the newest member of ADAVB Council, Dr Conny Qian.

Conny is a recent graduate from La Trobe University, and currently splits her time working between Bendigo and Melbourne. She shares some of her insights studying and working in regional Victoria, the importance of mentoring, why she decided to get involved with the ADAVB and what she hopes to achieve on Council.

This week on Dental Central, we speak with the President of the ADAVB, Dr Warren Shnider.

In this discussion, we cover:

• Warren's first dental job, and why he chose the field of dentistry
• The importance of mentors, and how some simple advice can change the trajectory of your career
• The decision to pursue specialist training
• Working in special needs dentistry
• Warren's vision for his term as ADAVB President

You can get in touch with Dr Warren Shnider, President of the ADAVB, by emailing him at [email protected]