Study stress, burnout and physical complaints among dental students

Abstract

The study of dentistry is known to cause high levels of psychological stress and physical strain. The aim of the present study was to determine the degree to which dental students experience study stress, burnout and physical complaints. The study showed female students experience higher levels of study stress, on average, than male students. Students' mean level of emotional exhaustion was 'high'. In addition, 90% of the students had suffered from physical complaints in the year preceding the survey. A strong correlation was shown to exist between physical complaints and emotional exhaustion, and in addition, a strong wish for more (pre)clinical teacher support correlated with study stress, burnout and physical complaints. It can be concluded that dental students, on average, experience the study as taxing, feel emotionally exhausted and suffer from many physical complaints. In the dental practice, they will be confronted with many taxing factors. In the dental curriculum, therefore, adequate and frequent attention should be given to learning to cope with stressful situations and to maintain physical well-being.