Dr. Cheryl Cable
Prosthodontist, Edmonton AB
Associate Professor, University of Alberta
Twelve months into the COVID-19 pandemic and the numbers are confirming significantly higher levels of mental health conditions in the community including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress. Dr. Cheryl Cable, a prosthodontist from Edmonton AB, says that in 20 years of practicing, she has never seen so many stressed patients and colleagues.
In this episode of CDA Oasis Live, Dr. Cable talks to Dr. John O’Keefe about what dentists can do to assist with the management of patients who may need help. She introduces the concept of the healthcare influencer and suggests that, as healthcare professionals who have regular contact with their patient population, dentists are in a unique position to not only provide oral healthcare, but also to keep a close eye on the general and mental health of their patients. Dr. Cable highlights certain red flags that dentists should be looking for in a patient’s medical history and gives examples of open-ended questions they can ask to get the conversation going.
“Patients go to people they trust and to whom they have access to. As a person who sees patients and has open-ended conversations, dentists can be those healthcare influencers. It is a role we have to take very seriously.”
We hope you find the conversation useful. We welcome your thoughts, questions and/or suggestions about this post and other topics. Leave a comment in the box below or send us your feedback by email.
Until next time!
CDA Oasis Team
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