DentaltownUK Winter 2017 - 59

students

on Seeing Your First Dental Patient

by Lizzie Habbick,
Bds3 dental student at
Glasgow Dental School
I did some things out of necessity -recapping the knowledge I had gained thus far,
along with further learning in more specific
areas such as medications and conditions
that I believe to be fairly common within
the population.
Many people wince even at the slightest
mention of paying a visit to the dentist-a
concept that I'm sure many of you are aware
of. With the environment having such
a varying effect on patients and with
our main priority being their care, it
can sometimes be forgotten that dental
students, too, have to deal with their
own stresses and anxieties.
A study carried out only this year
found that when compared with students enrolled in other topics, dentistry
students have abnormally high levels
of stress and anxiety- 66.8 percent
and 54.7 percent, respectively. I can
understand how these levels can be
so high, considering the nature of
dentistry itself before the consideration
of additional challenging situations
are brought into the equation.
That being said, I've found dentistry to be a supportive course. With
the constant peer learning, asking

one another for help of advice seems to be
a thing of ease. I believe every person has a
different way of dealing with any situation,
which can be useful in teaching each other
alternative methods of thinking-that is, if
the notions are shared and discussed between
each other.
To avoid stress during my time at university, I read or, weather permitting, take
my dog, Tess, on long walks. I also have
a keen interest in mindfulness, a type of
self-mediation, and have learned that if I
take some time to myself, even to just gather
thoughts on a situation, I can tackle whatever
I face with a different outlook and may help
to give an alternative approach.
Mindfulness also allows you to be brought
more into the present situation, because it's
the act of bringing yourself into the surroundings, allowing you to collect feelings
and thoughts. This helps for focusing on
what's at hand-a skill I believe is more
than essential for not only students but also
dentists, when sometimes copious amounts
of pressure are present.

There are a few steps that can be followed
in order to gain a mindset that's apt for
gaining mindfulness. This includes three
basic stages:
1. Pause. By pausing, you're able to halt
the stress cycle.
2. Relax. Stop the tension signals sent
to the brain that otherwise could cause
disruptions in thought.
3. Be aware of the moment. With relaxation comes the ability to focus more on
what's happening in the current moment,
also allowing for an increase in ideas.
Other students in my year have their own
methods to relax-some do photography,
others draw-and the overarching theme
from their responses is that the most common method or way to de-stress seems to
be exercise. The NHS mentions suggestions
that may aid in the management of stress:
* Share your problems
with family or friends.
* Make more time for your
interests and hobbies.
* Take a break or holiday.
* Exercise regularly and make
sure you are eating healthily.
* Make sure you're getting enough sleep.
By following some of these, you can
help to reduce the amount of stress you
experience, I'm aware of which techniques
work well for me in line with my life, and
by using them I hope to be as prepared as I
can be for treating my first patient. I don't
think there will ever be a decrease in my
slight panic-counting down the weeks,
then days has become the norm-and with
only a few days remaining I can only look
forward to the final countdown. ■
1

2
3

Lizzie Habbick and her dog,
Tess, on a stress-busting walk.

Basudan, Sumaya, Najla Binanzan, and Aseel Alhassan.
"Depression, Anxiety And Stress In Dental Students."
International Journal of Medical Education 8 (2017): 179-186.
Web. 10 July 2017.
Goldstein, Elisha. "10 Seconds To Less Stress." Mindful. N.p.,
2015. Web. 13 July 2017
"Struggling With Stress? - Stress, Anxiety And Depression - NHS
Choices." Nhs.uk. N.p., 2017. Web. 12 July 2017

dentaltownuk.com \\ WINTER 2017

59
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK Winter 2017
