Working Within a Diverse Dental Team

P 1.3 covers working within the dental team. Equality and inclusion apply to colleagues, trainees, reception staff, agency staff, cleaners, managers, laboratory contacts and visiting professionals as well as patients. A team that accepts exclusion, discriminatory jokes or unfair assumptions is less safe for everyone.

Dental nurses may face power imbalances with dentists, owners or senior staff while remaining registered professionals. Speaking up can be difficult; responses should be proportionate, factual and follow practice policy. Senior dental nurses and practice managers should model fair behaviour and support quieter staff.

Inclusive teamwork includes

• Using respectful names and correct pronunciation.
• Avoiding jokes about accents, age, disability, religion, race, gender or sexuality.
• Providing fair training and supervision for trainees and new staff.
• Ensuring part-time, agency or reception-cover staff receive essential information.
• Addressing bullying, harassment, microaggressions and exclusion promptly.

Inclusion does not mean avoiding difficult conversations. It means dealing with issues fairly, respectfully and considering their impact. A colleague affected by discrimination should not be told to ignore it or accept it as banter.

Workplace discrimination and harassment

Inclusion within the team affects patient safety because staff who are excluded, mocked or silenced may stop sharing important information.