CATEGORY AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST89 but about the accumulation of demands: academic, clinical, interpersonal, and psychological. In other words, it’s not just that dentistry is hard – it’s that everything is happening at once. The Fear of Getting It Wrong Another powerful element of the hidden curriculum is how it shapes attitudes toward mistakes. In many training environments, mistakes are: u Highly visible u Closely scrutinised u Sometimes associated with shame or criticism Research on psychological safety demonstrates that when learners fear judgment or punitive consequences for errors, they are less likely to engage in open communication and re ective learning, ultimately limiting both con dence and professional development (Edmondson, 1999; Helmreich, 2000). And this is easily understood on some level by every single one of us. If you are made to feel you will be judged or penalised for errors, it creates fear-based learning environments, which can inhibit both con dence and growth. is carries into early practice. Young dentists often operate with an internal dialogue of: u “What if I miss something?” u “What if this fails?” u “I don’t know how to do this “ u “What will they think of me?” is constant vigilance is mentally exhausting and rarely addressed explicitly. The Emotional Labour Dentistry is not just technical. Every day, clinicians are expected to: u Reassure anxious patients u Deliver bad news u Manage dissatisfaction u Build trust quickly And yet, communication is often taught as a secondary skill, rather than a core clinical competency. e hidden curriculum teaches young dentists indirectly that they should “just know” how to handle these interactions. When they don’t, the stress compounds. Rethinking Stress in Early Career Dentistry If we reframe early-career stress through the lens of the hidden curriculum, something important shifts. For anyone who knows me and my teaching philosophy, you will know I am a big proponent of the reframe. In this way, it is no longer simply about resilience or coping better. It becomes about recognising the gap. Recognising what’s missing in the education and training, and then mindfully lling this gap. Young dentists are not just learning dentistry. ey are learning: u How to think under pressure u How to communicate e ectively u How to tolerate uncertainty u How to manage emotional and cognitive load And they are often doing this without explicit guidance. Moving Forward: Making the Invisible Visible e solution is not to eliminate stress; that is neither realistic nor necessary. Instead, it is to make the hidden curriculum visible. is can begin with: u Open conversations about the realities of practice u Normalising uncertainty and earlycareer discomfort u Teaching communication as a clinical skill u Providing structured frameworks for decision-making u Creating environments where questions are encouraged, not judged When these elements are addressed explicitly, stress becomes understandable, not overwhelming. It also becomes reframed in a way that makes it something that can be addressed and overcome. Final Thoughts Early-career dentistry will always come with pressure. It is a demanding profession, and rightly so. But not all stress is inevitable and much of it comes from what we were never taught; the unspoken rules, expectations, and assumptions that shape how we think, behave, and cope. By recognising the role of the hidden curriculum, we can begin to shift the narrative. Not from stress to ease but from confusion to clarity. And for many young dentists, that alone can make all the di erence. u PARTNERING WITH PATIENTS About the author Dr Shahana is an aesthetic and implant dentist, educator, and mentor who works extensively with early-career dentists navigating the transition from training into practice. Her work focuses on the oen-overlooked psychological and communication challenges faced by young clinicians, particularly those shaped by the hidden curriculum of dentistry. Through mentoring, teaching, and writing, she aims to equip dentists with the skills and clarity needed to practise with confidence, resilience, and intention.
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