Poor teaching standards | British Dental Journal

Sir, I write in response to A. Mahmud's letter 'Mental health at dental school' published in the BDJ.1

This is a significant problem and in my experience the mental health issues experienced by my students were less to do with the rigours of the undergraduate dental course and more to do with

poor standards at the university teaching hospital.

I did my absolute best to support the mental wellbeing of my students but was ultimately defeated by institutional insensitivity to it. The General Dental Council failed to support the

interests of the same students. To challenge the institutional failings, I published a provocative memoir and titled it, The Philosophy Fridge. It's available to purchase on Amazon or

alternatively can be borrowed from the BDA library.

All but two of my former students contacted me to thank me for my efforts. Most of them told me that their experience at the teaching hospital was the worst of their lives and described how

they had been left lost and confused. They confided in me that being able to read about their experience and what I had to say made them feel better about themselves and restored some of

their confidence.

I remain hopeful that my book will help others as it presents the practical philosophy of resilience, alongside some politics, practical economics, depression psychology, workplace

relationships and my thoughts on this, that and the other.

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