Down and Out, or Down and About? Raising Awareness of Mental Health Issues in Dentistry
Date(s)Sherri Lukes, FAADH, MS, RDH
Subject: 770 Self-Improvement
Credits: 1.5
Method: Lecture
Tuesday, Sept. 3: 7:30–9 p.m. CDT
Audience: Students, Residents, Dentists, Dental Assistants
Fee: $37.50 (students and residents); $75 (members); $125 (nonmembers)
Description
A plethora of mental health issues plague our society today, and the dental community is not immune. Dental professionals encounter multiple stressors in the workplace, which may result in significant anxiety, depression and other emotional outcomes. Evidence concerning mental health issues nationwide and among dental professionals and patients will be presented in this course, along with signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Management and treatment strategies will be discussed, including screening tools and suicide prevention strategies. The knowledge obtained in the session can be utilized in personal lives as well as during patient care to achieve whole-body wellness for both providers and patients.
Learning Objectives
- Discuss the evidence concerning mental health issues among dental professionals and patients.
- Describe signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Discuss management strategies for anxiety, depression and suicide prevention.
- Appreciate the importance of the civic responsibility to assist all people with mental health issues.
Speaker, author and vulnerable-populations advocate, Sherri Lukes, FAADH, MS, RDH, has been a dental hygienist for 43 years, holding advanced degrees in education. She is associate professor emerita, Southern Illinois University, where she taught general and oral pathology, public health, and multicultural dental hygiene. She is an approved speaker of, and holds a pathology fellowship in, the American Academy of Dental Hygiene; is a past president of the Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association; and is a member of the American Academy of Oral Medicine. Her community service includes serving as president and on the board of directors of Rural Health Inc., as well as annual trips to southern Mexico, where she delivers preventive care in an orphanage and remote villages.
Additional Information
September is Suicide Prevention Month.