Prevention of study-related stress symptoms: health-promoting behavior among dental students

BACKGROUND: Training to become a dentist is one of the most demanding professional education experiences. There are very few studies on strategies and activities to cope with study-related stress during dental training. We therefore evaluated the prevalence of burnout symptoms and coping activities among dental students.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed analyzing a sample of 239 dental students from Germany. Students were asked to complete a survey containing questions about burnout symptoms and coping behavior.

RESULTS: A total of 38% of the dental students perceived symptoms of emotional exhaustion; 17% reported symptoms of personal accomplishment and 11% perceived scores of depersonalization. Students reported on coping activities, ranging from health-promoting techniques, such as exercising, to less recommendable health harming relaxation strategies, such as taking drugs.

CONCLUSION: Our results indicate the need for relevant health promotion and may aid decision makers in developing health promotion programs.