Assessment of stress among dental students: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Dental student stress, stemming from academic and sociocultural factors, necessitates targeted interventions for stress alleviation. Recognizing stress sources is imperative for policy advocacy and effective strategies.Methods: A cross-sectional study took place between July and October 2023, involving 197 third-year dental students, final-year students, and CRRI participants. Stress levels were assessed through a questionnaire administered via Google Forms to ensure anonymity and privacy. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Version 26.Results: In the participant pool, female students constituted 70.1%, males 29.9%, all of them experienced stress. Only 43.1% prioritized dentistry as their first choice. Academic workload stress was universal (99.8%), along with concerns about relaxation time (80.3%) and examination requirements (59.4%). Patient management tasks emerged as top stressors, notably appointment issues (81.7%) and self-sourcing patients (59.9%). 0.7% faced a non-supportive atmosphere for extracurricular activities, and 30.5% relied on sleeping as a coping mechanism.Conclusion: Overall stress levels, predominantly slight to moderate, were notably higher in third and final year undergraduates.