Stress Dynamics in Future Dentists: Insights From a 5-Year Cohort Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the progression/regression of stress among dental students throughout their educational journey. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry, Thamar University, Yemen, from 2017 to 2022. The dental students therein were followed annually—from their first year to graduation—using a hard copy of The Dental Environmental Stress (DES) questionnaire, consisting of 41 closed-ended questions. Further information such as gender, marital status and current academic level was collected. Statistical analyses included repeated measures one-way ANOVA, independent t-tests, and paired t-tests, with the statistical significance threshold set at p < 0.05. Results: Ninety-three first-year students (38 males, 55 females) participated. Only 60 students (24 males, 36 females) completed the study by the fifth year due to attrition. Stress scores increased significantly over time, peaking in the fourth and fifth years (p < 0.05). Stress levels in the different individual domains were higher during the clinical stage compared to the preclinical stage. Female students reported significantly higher stress levels than males did in the ‘workload’ (p = 0.006) and ‘patient treatment’ (p = 0.037) domains, while males reported significantly higher stress in the ‘social stressors’ domain (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Perceived stress among dental students is notably high and increases progressively throughout the academic years, peaking during the clinical stage. Mitigating stress in dental education necessitates the adoption of effective management strategies and a thorough review of curricula to foster a supportive learning environment.