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Letters
LETTERS
Protecting the Mental Health of Professionals
I would like to compliment Lee et al.[1] for the thought-provoking Perspectives article “Mindfulness in Dental Education and Dentistry” in the April New York State Dental Journal. I suggest a few additions to this article regarding lifestyle and mental health.
It is best to embrace a slower pace of life in every walk of life to enrich mental health.[2] It is equally vital that health professionals set aside quality time in their daily life for leisure activities, exercise, healthy diet, religious practices and family relations, and that they create a harmonious psychosocial environment in the workplace to enhance mental health and increase longevity.[3]
In a recent study regarding the impact of time doctors spent on portable and desktop digital devices, researchers discovered an alarming daily screen time of more than five hours by 29 doctors; this must be reduced.[4] The overexposure among doctors is due to an information explosion and the accessibility of telemedicine.[4]
Dental professionals need to master their behavorial and cognitive strategies, and periodic screening of mental health should be carried out at each institution.[5] The governing bodies of health institutions should mandate the monitoring of the duration and quality of working hours effectively without jeopardizing the mental health of the health professionals.
Thorakkal Shamim, B.D.S., M.D.S. Assistant Dental Surgeon Department of Dentistry Government Dental Hospital Manjeri Kerala, India
REFERENCES
1. Lee E, Chin B, Lin M, Chen J, Atmadja D, Hong H, Lee C, Lee Y. Mindfulness in dental education and dentistry. The New York State Dental Journal 2025 Apr;91(3):10-12.
2. Steager T. Slow living by Wendy Parkin and Geoffrey Craig. Food, Culture and Society 2009 Apr;12(2): 241–243.
3. Dyer KA. Daily healthy habits to reduce stress and increase longevity. Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice 2023;30:100593.
4. Chapala S, Hussein M, Shirodkar K, Iyengar KP, Vaishya R, Botchu R. Digital screen usage amongst doctors: demographics, patterns of use and effect of health parameters. Apollo Med 2025 Jul; 22(4):303–309.
5. Shamim T. The necessity to master the fifteen skill set of adversity quotient to circumvent occupational stress at workplace. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care 2021 Nov;10(11):4335.
