Abstract
Objective: To evaluate sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness in undergraduate dentistry students. Material and Methods: This research is characterized as an observational study of transversal type, having analysed undergraduate students in dentistry from a public university in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. The sample consisted of 325 students enrolled between the 1st and 10th academic semester. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while excessive daytime sleepiness was analysed through the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) . The t-Student and Mann-Whitney tests were used for the numerical values, with the F-test (ANOVA) or the Kruskal-Wallis test being used to compare more than two categories. Results: It was observed that 71.1% of students presented a poor sleep quality, with more than half of the students exhibiting excessive daytime sleepiness (58.1%). A relationship between sleep quality and the academic semester was verified. However, gender and age were not associated with sleep quality or with excessive daytime sleepiness . Conclusion: A high prevalence of poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness was observed among undergraduate students in dentistry. The data suggest that the undergraduate degree in Dentistry can influence the students’ quality of sleep, regardless of age or gender.
Highlights
Sleep is an essential human condition characterised by a state of inactivity, muscle relaxation and a reduction in conscience in response to external cues and lower heart rates [1]
Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while excessive daytime sleepiness was analysed through the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)
A high prevalence of poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness was observed among undergraduate students in dentistry
Summary
Sleep is an essential human condition characterised by a state of inactivity, muscle relaxation and a reduction in conscience in response to external cues and lower heart rates [1] It plays a role in restoring, protecting and conserving energy, with the lack of sleep possibly leading to great damage in the individual’s performance in the short and long-term, especially regarding the physical, occupational, cognitive and social functions of the body [2]. There is a remarkable relationship between sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness, with the latter defined as the greater probability of falling asleep in situations in which the individual should be awake [5], naturally leading to greater inattention, causing higher risks of car accidents, deficit of attention and learning [6] Based on this premise, recent studies [7,8,9] have verified a clear relationship between sleep disorders and lower undergraduate academic performance. It is evident that undergraduate students belong to a group with higher probability of presenting sleep deprivation and/or sleep fragmentation, which may compromise their physical and mental health [11]
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