Death, dying and bereavement: a survey of dental practitioners

Abstract

The dentist's role following the death of a patient in his/her practice has received little attention in the literature. This study determined the prevalence of death within a dental practice. It also investigated methods by which dentists supported grieving survivors, and how frequently dentists received formal bereavement education in dental school. A perceived need for training in death and dying was also investigated. A survey was mailed to 200 randomly selected general dental practitioners in Ontario, Canada. It was found that (1) the vast majority of respondents (86%) had experienced the death of a patient within the past 12 months; (2) support methods included sending sympathy cards (79.3%), sending flowers (34.5%), attending the funeral or wake (23%), or visiting/calling survivors (11.5%); (3) only 4% of respondents reported receiving formal bereavement education during dental school; and (4) 61% believed bereavement education should be included in the dental school curricula. While the majority of dentists in this study provided bereavement support and believed they could effectively comfort grieving persons, these dentists experienced significant stress when dealing with issues of death and bereavement. The stress may be explained by inadequate education and exposure to the issues of death and dying.

Death, dying, and bereavement in undergraduate dental education: A narrative review

“…Patient deaths are not contained to geriatric settings, occurring when working with any population, pediatric included 15,16 . Dental schools in North America have not, historically, included content focused on death, dying, and bereavement; 10 as a result, practicing dentists report not feeling prepared by their training for this aspect of being a healthcare provider 9,10 …”

“…Dentists have reported feeling distressed when listening to terminally ill patients talk about their prognosis 9,18 . As future health professionals, dental students need to be aware that they will be required to help patients and families cope with the dying process and death of a loved one.…”

“…In a 1989 survey of dental schools in the United States, 88% did not have any formal end‐of‐life educational content 25 . Since then, a series of surveys in a number of American states and in a Canadian province suggests that content is slowly increasing and that practicing dentists feel that death, dying, and bereavement need to be added to dental training 9,10,18,19 . A 2010 survey reported that, while none of the 52 (out of 58) American dental schools surveyed had a separate course on death and dying (compared to 21% of medical programs, 18% of nursing programs, 69% of child life programs, and 14% of veterinary programs), most (97%) had some content, delivered mainly through lectures, and with some interactive learning including small group discussions, role playing, audio‐visual material, and hospice visits 26 .…”

“…Working with this population also creates an emotional impact on the healthcare provider and student learners. Dental education does not prepare students adequately for the personal and professional impact of death, dying, and bereavement 9,10 . Calls for palliative care special interest groups in dentistry, and dental palliative care fellowships begin to contribute toward filling these training gaps 11,12 .…”

Teaching End‐of‐Life Issues: Survey of U.S. Dental Schools and Dentists

“…Dentists, however, are often left without much education on end‐of‐life issues. With the rate of medical advancements extending life, dentists will continue to encounter more elderly patients who may be suffering from a long‐term illness, often terminal 1 …”