Professionalism sits at the heart of safe, trusted dental care – yet everyday behaviours, communication choices and decision‑making can all have a direct impact on patient trust and professional relationships. Recognising this, Dental Protection has introduced a new online professionalism course designed to support dental professionals at every stage of their career.

The course helps practitioners explore how seemingly routine actions can influence consent, trust and patient confidence. Through practical guidance and real‑world scenarios, it encourages dental professionals to reflect on their behaviour, consider different perspectives and respond appropriately in challenging situations.

All courses available on The Learning Hub are included at no extra cost for Dental Protection members, and can be used to count towards a dental professional’s CPD. Members can log into their Learning Hub account to start the course.

Dr Yvonne Shaw, Underwriting Policy Lead at Dental Protection, said: “We help thousands of members each year to manage challenges that arise during their career. Reflecting on why problems arise, and learning from them, is integral to being a professional, but sometimes it is not always immediately obvious where things have gone wrong. Often it is not just the provision of clinical care that is the issue. Professional boundaries can be inadvertently blurred over time arising from greater familiarity with patients, digital communication or simply stressful or emotionally charged situations.

“It is important for all dental professionals to recognise those moments when they may be at greater risk to safeguard their patients and protect their own professional position. Understanding our behaviours and the ethical challenges we face every day including day-to-day conversations, decisions and boundary judgements can also help protect dental professionals from a complaint or claim relating to professionalism.

“The online course not only looks at the professional frameworks and standards in place – it also demonstrates how they can be applied under pressure, and how practitioners can reflect and adapt over time. This can be particularly useful in private practice, independent working, or in roles with fewer or informal safeguards.”