Working

by Ernest Tripp

"I have to begin by saying I'm a person who wears many hats," says Patricia Doyle, RDH, BS, FADPD. Over the course of her 37-year career in oral health care, Doyle has worked with a wide variety of dental hygiene patients. She's held positions in private practice, as a volunteer in the Mental Health Services program at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle (which is a county hospital and major regional health care facility and teaching facility associated with the University of Washington), and as a clinical instructor at the University of Washington. She is also a technical consultant for Laclede, Inc. (Biotene Products)."I often refer to myself as the 'mad hatter,'" Doyle says. "I'm able to incorporate my interest in special needs patients at my private practice and be given time to coordinate other work I do in the community in this area."

Doyle works four days a week for her brother, T. Michael Doyle, DDS, at his practice in Seattle where she provides traditional oral health care to patients. In addition, her brother actively supports her volunteer work and regularly provides dental care to many of her patients from the mental health clinic. "It is a unique opportunity for me to work with my brother," Doyle says. "He is a very compassionate and caring dentist É [and] we both understand the role patients' mental health plays in providing optimum dental care."

For 20 years, Doyle has been committed to the oral health care of people with mental illness, primarily through her work at Harborview. Doyle developed a self-run dental program there that provided basic dental hygiene care, screenings, and referrals to mental health patients who might otherwise not have access to oral health care. "These are people with severe chronic mental illness," Doyle says. "It's very rewarding to have the opportunity to help people and be of service." She adds that interacting with people from all cultures and socioeconomic groups gives her great satisfaction and has been the primary focus of her career. "I may be one of the few hygienists involved in education about psychiatric disorders [for] dental professionals and dental education/oral health needs of mental health clients [for] mental health professionals. Understanding the mental health status of our dental patients helps us provide optimum oral health care. Mental illness is a common part of life and affects patients we treat every day in our general dental offices (and staff too)."

Doyle's interest in "special needs patients" began when she completed the Dental Education in Care of Persons with Disabilities (DECOD) program at the University of Washington in the early 1980s, and she began volunteering at Harborview. However, Doyle points out that her interest in dental care actually began much earlier--even before she graduated from the University of Washington with her bachelor's in 1965 and began her dental hygiene career. "My childhood dentist employed a dental hygienist whom I liked." she says. "Because of her, at about age 13, I decided I wanted to be a dental hygienist É when few people knew what that was."

As a result of her work with persons with mental illness, Doyle was appointed clinical instructor in the University of Washington Department of Oral Medicine in 1986 and was an investigator on a unique research project evaluating the dental needs of persons with chronic mental illness. She teaches in the DECOD program and has been involved in a variety of educational programs relating to oral and mental health.

"I love the variety," Doyle says enthusiastically. "There's always room for one more hat on this marvelous dental hygiene journey. The opportunities for growth and learning are remarkable. For me, it continues to be a great adventure."

Patricia Doyle may be contacted at pedoyle@u.washington.edu or 1305 4th Avenue, Suite 820, Seattle, Washington, 98101.