Abstract
A person-centered approach, with empathy toward patients, can improve satisfaction among both patients and dental health professionals. A dental director with a human-centered leadership style can improve the well-being of oral health team members. This article describes the role that empathy, a core value of humanism and professionalism, plays in accomplishing these improvements in community health center dental clinics. This article also describes the risks of empathy, as experienced by the author in her role as a dental director and practitioner, as well as documented in the literature. It further focuses on dental directors’ human-centered approaches to supporting oral health team members, as documented in the literature and through the author’s professional experience.
Recommended Citation
Alston, Pamela S. DDS, MPP, FACD
(2026)
"Empathy and Human-Centered Leadership in Community Health Center Dental Clinics,"
Journal of the American College of Dentists: Vol. 92:
No.
2, Article 12.
Available at:
https://commons.ada.org/jacd/vol92/iss2/12
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Dental Public Health and Education Commons, Health and Medical Administration Commons, Leadership Commons