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. REFERENCE * Mahmud A. Mental health at dental school. _Br Dent J

_2020; 228: 3. Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Leamington Spa, UK H. Ahmed Authors * H. Ahmed View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Ahmed, H. Poor teaching standards. _Br Dent J_ 228, 396 (2020).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-1438-5 Download citation * Published: 27 March 2020 * Issue Date: March 2020 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-1438-5 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you

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