Wellbeing and resilience have gained considerable attention in the recent years and their role in enhancing the working environment and students’ learning journeys is well-documented. Conversely, high and sustained levels of stress in staff and students results in burnout; something that has been acutely exacerbated during the recent pandemic. Education providers have a duty of care and an ethical responsibility for supporting their staff and their students effectively and promoting their wellbeing and resilience. Identifying and tackling the causes of poor mental health and wellbeing and offering appropriate, timely support to the staff and students will be enable them to improve their working environment, their educational journey, maximise their potential to deliver better quality patient care and improve their quality of life
The group aims to:
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Understand the current status and strategies currently in place across European Dental Schools, to support our team for wellbeing and resilience
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Understand the barriers and challenges faced by Dental schools across Europe in ensuring staff and student wellbeing and resilience
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Share good practice and determine how institutions can bring about sustainable changes necessary support mental health and wellbeing of staff and students.
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Identify potential areas for research and innovation with regards to wellbeing and resilience
Shannu Bhatia
United Kingdom
During 2025, the Community of Practice (COP) on Wellbeing and Resilience made strong progress in advancing its aim of embedding wellbeing within dental education. The group’s work focused on curriculum development, collaboration, and building capacity across institutions.
A. COP Sessions: Development of Learning Objectives
A key achievement this year was the collaborative development of learning objectives (LOs) related to wellbeing and resilience within the Graduating European Dentist (GED) curriculum.
Through structured breakout sessions, COP members:
Co-developed learning objectives addressing self-awareness, self-care, and management of emotional challenges.
Shared good practices from across institutions on how to embed wellbeing into teaching and student support systems.
Identified curriculum opportunities, where wellbeing and resilience could be strengthened.
Proposed learning objectives included:
Understanding self-monitoring, self-care, and routes to seek appropriate support.
Recognising and managing emotional and professional challenges in clinical and team environments.
Developing coping strategies such as reflection, peer support, and help-seeking behaviours.
In addition, the COP actively discussed the development of WELLDENTAL, a collaborative initiative aimed at promoting wellbeing in dental education. Members were invited to contribute ideas, resources, and experiences to support its growth as a shared platform and network.
B. Wellbeing Champions Workshop
The COP chair designed and delivered a workshop at the ADEE 2025 conference titled:
“Empowering Wellbeing Champions in Dental Education.”
This interactive session focused on developing wellbeing champions within dental schools through a proactive approach centred on recognition and action.
Key outcomes included:
Improved understanding of wellbeing challenges in dental education.
Enhanced ability to recognise signs of stress and burnout and initiate support.
Greater awareness of the role of wellbeing champions in fostering supportive cultures.
Practical strategies to promote wellbeing and signpost relevant resources.
The continued development of WELLDENTAL as a collaborative platform will further strengthen connections between institutions and support the sharing of best practices.
Finalise Learning outcomes for submission to GED
Promote wellbeing activities and panel discussion session during ADEE 2026 ( proposal has been submitted )
Overall, these efforts contribute to creating healthier, more supportive learning and working environments for students, educators, and staff in dental education.
The COP plans to strengthen its impact by advancing three key priorities.
1. Finalise and submit the proposed wellbeing and resilience learning objectives to the Graduating European Dentist (GED) Task Force for consideration and integration.
2. Further develop and expand WELLDENTAL as a collaborative platform to share resources, research, and best practice across institutions.
3. We aim to design and implement a Wellbeing Charter and Awards framework to recognise and support dental schools across ADEE in fostering positive, sustainable wellbeing cultures for students, educators, and staff.
