The barriers and enablers to implementing trauma-informed care in dental settings

TY - JOUR

T1 - The barriers and enablers to implementing trauma-informed care in dental settings

AU - Smith, Molly

AU - O Donald, Freddie

AU - Sevier-Guy, Lindsay-Jo

AU - Heffernan, Abigail

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the British Dental Association 2025.

PY - 2025/7/11

Y1 - 2025/7/11

N2 - Rates of psychological trauma are increasing and psychological trauma symptoms can prevent patients from undergoing or accessing routine dental treatment. Psychological trauma is a response to a distressing event that overwhelms a person's capacity to cope with it emotionally. This is important in relation to dentistry as people who have experienced trauma may be triggered by this in the unfamiliar dental environment, influencing how they experience oral health care. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge the potential barriers and enablers to implementing trauma-informed care in dentistry to provide person-centred dental care and improve patient outcomes. Along with maintaining effective leadership, resources and staff training on the impact of trauma, dedicated time and facilitating a trauma-informed culture through approaches such as the Sanctuary Model - an evidence-based approach to delivering trauma-informed care in organisations - are essential to sustain change.

AB - Rates of psychological trauma are increasing and psychological trauma symptoms can prevent patients from undergoing or accessing routine dental treatment. Psychological trauma is a response to a distressing event that overwhelms a person's capacity to cope with it emotionally. This is important in relation to dentistry as people who have experienced trauma may be triggered by this in the unfamiliar dental environment, influencing how they experience oral health care. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge the potential barriers and enablers to implementing trauma-informed care in dentistry to provide person-centred dental care and improve patient outcomes. Along with maintaining effective leadership, resources and staff training on the impact of trauma, dedicated time and facilitating a trauma-informed culture through approaches such as the Sanctuary Model - an evidence-based approach to delivering trauma-informed care in organisations - are essential to sustain change.

KW - Humans

KW - Dental Care/psychology

KW - Psychological Trauma

KW - Patient-Centered Care

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105010620129

U2 - 10.1038/s41415-025-8906-x

DO - 10.1038/s41415-025-8906-x

M3 - Article

C2 - 40646205

SN - 0007-0610

VL - 239

SP - 21

EP - 24

JO - British Dental Journal

JF - British Dental Journal

IS - 1

ER -