Prevalence of Stress and Coping Disorders among Dental Students: An Original Research

INTRODUCTION: The students pursuing professional studies such as medicine and dentistry have to endure a lot of stress. Hence, we evaluated the prevalence of stress and coping disorders among dental students. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire-based online survey study among 100 dental students of 1–4 years. The survey was based on the “modified General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12; Goldberg and Williams, 1988).” The scores were analyzed for the statistical connotation, keeping P < 0.05 as significant. RESULTS: We observed that over half of the dental pupils felt stressed. The dental students resorted to “Destructive coping mechanisms.” Less than 15% of students sought medical and psychiatric counseling. The mean GHQ was 12 ± 1.7. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological strength is a prerequisite for good health and better performance in the studies as well as for the practice. There is an urgent need to focus on the mental health of the students specifically in the medical and dental fields.