Perceived sources of stress among Malaysian dental students

Objective: Dental student training is known to be stressful and associated with physical and psychological distress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the stress provoking factors among students performing clinical tasks in a Malaysian Dental School. Materials and Methods: A modified dental environment stress questionnaire was distributed to 179 Bachelor of Dental Surgery students during the clinical years 3-5 and their responses are analyzed. Results: The most stress provoking factor was found to be "fear of failing the course or year" (72%) followed by "fear of facing parents after failure" (46%). The least stress provoking factors were related to personal issues such as personal physical health (48%) and lack of home atmosphere in living quarters (40%). Female students were found to be more stressful than the male students and financial responsibilities provoked only moderate amount of stress among many of the students. There was a significant difference in the overall stress levels perceived by students belonging to 3 rd , 4 th , and 5 th year of study. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that with the advent of newer teaching modalities, a more student friendly environment can be created so that detrimental consequences of stress can be reduced.