Psychological stress and health in undergraduate dental students: fifth year outcomes compared with first year baseline results from five European dental schools

Psychological stress in undergraduate dental students: fifth year outcomes compared with first year baseline results from five European dental schools. Objective: To compare the levels of a series of health‐related indicators from a cohort of fifth year dental students from five European schools with their first year scores, and to investigate the relationship between these follow‐up measures. Methods: Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), consisting of three scales: Emotional Exhaustion (EE, α = 0.90), Depersonalisation (α = 0.80) and Personal Accomplishment (α = 0.72). Physical health was measured by the Physical Symptoms Questionnaire (α = 0.82), psychological distress was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ, α = 0.89) and student stress was captured using seven subscales of the Dental Environment Stress questionnaire (DES, α = 0.92). A total of 132 fifth year students responded from five dental schools (Manchester, Belfast, Cork, Helsinki and Amsterdam), a 51% response. Results: Fifth year students showed relatively high mean MBI scores when compared with first year results, especially on EE; 39% could be labelled ‘high scorers’; 44% of the students met the criteria for ‘cases’ on the GHQ. Highest mean scores on the DES were obtained on the subscales: Study Obligations, Patient‐Related Aspects and Study Pressure respectively. Between schools interesting differences were detected on all variables. As hypothesised, a clear direct effect of stress on both burnout and physical symptoms was shown. An indirect effect of stress on mental health via burnout was shown. Conclusions: Dental students showed a negative development through the years from first to fifth year with regard to EE and psychological distress. Both burnout constructs related to physical and mental health. It is recommended that dental faculty focus on the importance of prevention and intervention of stress amongst undergraduates.     

Burnout,depression and suicidal ideation in dental and dental hygiene students

Introduction

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between burnout, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in dental and dental hygiene students and to evaluate the influence of gender, programme type and year of study.

Subjects and methods

Third‐ and fourth‐year dental (DS) and first‐ and second‐year hygiene students (DHS) completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐9) and an abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory online as measures of depressive symptoms/suicidality and burnout, respectively. The statistical analyses included summary statistics and tests for intergroup comparisons (chi‐square) to evaluate the influence of gender, programme type (DHS or DS) and year of study. Correlations between depression, suicidality and burnout were also conducted.

Results

A total of 32 dental hygiene and 119 dental students participated. 40% of the dental and 38% of the hygiene students met criteria for burnout. No differences were found between years or between programmes. Nine per cent of both dental and hygiene students were above the cut‐off for moderate depressive symptoms, but there were no statistical differences between the third‐ and fourth‐year dental and the first‐ and second‐year hygiene students. Six per cent of the dental and 9% of the dental hygiene students were above the cut‐off for clinically significant suicidal ideation, but there were no statistical differences between dental and hygiene students. There were no differences noted in the dental students based on gender for any of the measures. Depression was significantly associated with all three subscales of burnout. Suicidal ideation was only significantly related to the lack of personal accomplishment subscale of burnout.

Discussion

These findings suggest the need for introducing preventive measures for such affective states in dental and dental hygiene training programmes.     

The evaluation of perceived sources of stress and stress levels among Turkish dental students

Objective : The purpose of this study was to identify sources of stress and to evaluate stress levels among Turkish dental students and also to investigate the role of year of study and gender on perceived stressors. Methods : This study included 308 dental students. Dental Environment Stress (DES) questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to collect data. Also, some factors considered to be effective on stress levels of dental students were questioned. Data were statistically analysed with Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests. Results : The most stress provoking factors were fear of failing the year, completion of clinical requirements and amount of assigned work. Statistically significant differences were found between years of study and gender for many stressors. There was statistically significant difference between years of study and gender for mean DES scores but no statistically significant differences were found between years of study for mean BDI, STAI scores. There was statistically significant difference between genders for STAI‐1. Choice rank of dental school has affected stress levels of dental students. Conclusion : This study showed that perceived sources of stress of clinical students were very similar and stress levels of these students were lower than preclinical students, also gender was effective on stressors and stress levels.     

Perceived relevance of oral biology by dental students

Objectives: This study investigated the perception that dental students have regarding the relevance of oral biology (OB) to dental education and dentistry in general. Moreover, this study analysed students’ attitude towards OB learning approaches and resources. Methods: A questionnaire based on a Likert scale was used to survey pre‐clinical/second (BDS2)‐ and final/fifth (BDS5)‐year dental students at the School of Dentistry of the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom). In comparison, a small group of postgraduate specialist registrars were surveyed to evaluate the attitudes of practising dentists. Results: The results show that all study groups expressed a high level of perceived relevance of OB to dentistry. Students’ perception of OB for dental education, clinical training and practice also scored high. More than 40% of undergraduate students and about 55% of the postgraduates indicated a perceived change in their attitude towards OB with time characterised by increased appreciation of the subject. Lectures were considered as the most important teaching approach, whereas ‘group poster projects’ ranked lowest. Of the different study resources, lecture handouts received the overall highest importance score. Conclusions: The results indicate that dental students considered OB relevant for dental education and dentistry and suggest a positive attitude towards the subject. This study also suggested that dental students prefer teacher‐centred/led teaching rather than student‐directed learning of OB. The article addresses the role of OB and science‐related research projects within the dental curriculum and discusses that close integration of basic sciences with dental education may enrich dental education and overall learning experience.     

Burnout in oral medicine and orofacial pain residents

BackgroundThe authors sought to identify the prevalence of burnout in oral medicine (OM) and orofacial pain (OFP) residents and investigate potential contributing factors.MethodsA cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted. An anonymous 22-item online survey was emailed to the residents of all Commission on Dental Accreditation–accredited OM and OFP residency programs in the United States. Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory was included to gauge the following details of burnout: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment. Questions also addressed the impact of residency program characteristics, work-life balance, and possible discrimination or abuse on burnout.ResultsSix OM and 12 OFP programs (72 residents) were contacted, and 46 residents responded (response rate, 64%). Overall prevalence of burnout was 35% (29% in OM residents, 40% in OFP residents). High EE burnout was noted in 57% of residents, high DP burnout in 11% of residents, and high personal accomplishment burnout in 59% of residents. Working for fewer than 40 hours per week was significantly associated with low DP burnout (P < .05). Moderate to high DP burnout was more prevalent in men and unmarried residents (whether in a relationship or not) were more likely to experience moderate to high EE burnout (P < .05).ConclusionsBurnout among OM and OFP residents is an emerging concern due to its detrimental effect on the physical and mental well-being of the residents. To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to report burnout prevalence in the 2 most recent dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association in 2020.Practical ImplicationsEarly detection of signs of burnout among residents would allow program faculty and administrators to provide required support and resources.     

Stress, burnout and health in the clinical period of dental education

The study examined the extent of stress, burnout and health problems experienced by fourth and fifth year dental students from the three universities of Dresden, Freiburg and Bern. The objectives of the study were to: (i) identify frequent sources of stress and to report the prevalence rates of burnout and health problems in dental students, (ii) determine the rate of students suffering from severe burnout symptoms and (iii) identify stress factors related to the burnout symptoms of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. A total of 161 dental students from Dresden, Freiburg and Bern participated in the study. They completed the Psychosocial Stress Inventory, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Health Survey Questionnaire. Frequent sources of stress were limitation of leisure time, examination anxiety and the transition stress that was related to the adaptation to the demands of the clinical phase of dental education. Few differences existed between the students of the fourth and the fifth study year. Study-related stress was lowest in Bern and considerably higher in Dresden. Differences of mean levels of burnout symptoms were found only for the burnout dimension of emotional exhaustion. Students from Dresden and Freiburg were more emotionally exhausted than students from Bern, students from Dresden also reported more health problems than students from Bern or Freiburg. Ten per cent of the dental students suffered from severe emotional exhaustion, 17% complained about a severe lack of accomplishment and 28% reported severe depersonalization symptoms. Forty-four per cent of the variance of emotional exhaustion was explained by study-related factors such as lack of leisure time, examination anxiety and transition stress. The only predictor of depersonalization was a lack of social integration, accounting for 3% of the variance. A lack of social integration may be an indicator of low social competence which may cause difficulties in dealing with patients adequately and therefore result in depersonalization. The results indicate a need to identify the group of students who may have insufficient social skills for dealing adequately with the patients, and to train them accordingly.     

Psychological stress among dental students at the University of Jordan

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of psychological stress as well as the perceived sources of stress among undergraduate dental students at the University of Jordan. The top perceived stressors were compared with those of a previous study that examined the perceived sources of stress among undergraduate dental students at the University of Jordan in the year 2000. Psychological stress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Perceived sources of stress were evaluated using the Dental Environment Stress questionnaire. In the study, 520 students completed the questionnaires, for a response rate of 74 percent. These students showed a high level of psychological stress, with 70 percent at the cutoff point of a score of more than 3 for the GHQ-12. Women had a higher level of stress than men: 73 percent scored more than 3 on the GHQ-12 vs. 63 percent for men, which was statistically significant at p=0.05. The top perceived sources of stress from the year 2000 were mostly unaltered in our study, despite a substantial increase in the number of students as well as changes in the curriculum. Further research is needed into methods to minimize stress on dental students.     

Perceptions of intimidation and bullying in dental schools: A multi‐national study

Objectives : To determine first year dental students' perceptions of intimidation by instructors and bullying by fellow students. Methods : Data were collected through a cross‐sectional survey of first year dental students from seven dental schools representing five countries; one each from Romania, South Africa, Australia and the USA, and three from Malaysia. Self‐report questionnaires were administered to participants at least six months after they had commenced their dental degree course during 2005–6. Results : Over a third (34.6%) reported that they had been intimidated or badly treated by their tutors/instructors and 17% reported that they had been bullied or badly treated by their fellow students in the recent past. There were statistically significant differences in reports of intimidation by instructors between the different dental schools. Intimidation by instructors was associated with a history of medication use for stress, anxiety and depression, and perceived stress in the past month. There were no statistically significant variations in reports of bullying by fellow students between different dental schools. Bullying by fellow students was associated with dieting to lose weight, self‐reported general health and perceived stress. Conclusions : This multi‐national study highlights that intimidation and bullying is prevalent within dental teaching and training environments. Future research is needed to explore their impact on students' well‐being and academic progress as well as on patient care. Clinical Implications : Dentists are the best recruiters for the profession. If the dental school experience is a negative one it can have significant impact on the future of the profession.     

Dental health behaviour in relation to caries status among medical and dental undergraduate students of Udaipur district,India

To cite this article:
Int J Dent Hygiene
DOI: 10.1111/j.1601‐5037.2008.00346.x
Kumar S, Motwani K, Dak N, Balasubramanyam G, Duraiswamy P, Kulkarni S. Dental health behaviour in relation to caries status among medical and dental undergraduate students of Udaipur district, India. Abstract: Objective: To compare the caries status and oral hygiene behaviour of dental and medical students and to assess the influence of oral hygiene behaviour on the caries status. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour along with clinical examination to asses the caries status. A total of 403 dental and medical students enrolled with Rajasthan University of Health Sciences of Udaipur district, India were recruited in the study. Results: 56.4% of dental students brushed their teeth twice daily compared to 38.5% of medical students. There was no significant difference between the mean decayed components of males and females of dental stream, whereas among medical subjects, males had a higher decayed score than females (P = 0.012). The mean behaviour score obtained by dental students (19.38) was greater than that of medical students (18.34). Moreover, medical students presented a higher decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) score (1.96) than dental students (1.16). Subjects who had a habit of brushing after every meal showed lower DMFT score (1.4) than those who brushed only once a day (1.64). Step‐wise linear regression analysis revealed that course of education and final behaviour score were the best predictors for the DMFT status. Conclusion: This study revealed significant differences between the oral hygiene behaviour and caries status of dental and medical students; furthermore, caries status was significantly influenced by the oral hygiene behaviour.     

The Role of Vocational Training in Graduate Education

The goal of dental education, since the mid‐19th century when the first Dental Schools appeared in Europe and America, has been to produce dentists able to carry out established dental therapies and serve the needs of patients. The range of content of Dental Education has been changing radically every 20–30 years, but especially in the last half of the 20th century, the need for constant reassessment, modification and amendment of dental curricula became apparent. Hence, after the 1950s it became clear that dental curricula were not able to provide the breadth of knowledge and clinical expertise that had accumulated in certain areas in dentistry, such as oral surgery and orthodontics. This resulted in the appreciation of the need for organising and establishing university or non‐university courses which would provide dentists with the additional specialised knowledge within a timeframe of two and later three years. This marked the birth of postgraduate programmes. Fifty years later, and based on the experience that has accumulated mainly from the ‘dentally developed’ countries in Western Europe and USA we can say that the ‘philosophy’ of dental postgraduate education remains largely the same. In other words, the main aim of postgraduate programmes remains to provide knowledge and practical skills in specialised areas of dentistry with the purpose of creating (i) clinical practitioners specialised in specific areas (specialisation, specialty) and (ii) general dentists with a strong scientific background, able to provide original research in basic sciences and with the necessary training and experience in organising and delivering dental education. As a general rule, postgraduate education is not antagonistic to undergraduate education, but on the contrary, it represents an extension of the knowledge acquired in undergraduate education into specific areas of interest and in certain directions. It is generally accepted that advanced postgraduate education can be successfully accomplished only on the basis of a complete, well‐organised undergraduate education. In the absence of this basis, the effectiveness of postgraduate programmes in succeeding in their goals can only be limited. This has been proved many times, at least in the USA, during the final evaluation (final performance) of postgraduate students coming from ‘dentally developed’ countries, in comparison with students having a low level of undergraduate education. Hence at the beginning of the 21st century, we can affirm that the efforts for good administration, high curriculum level and clear goals of postgraduate studies must be based on a well‐structured, well‐functioning and productive undergraduate dental education systems.     

Survey of perceived stress-inducing problems among dental students,Saudi Arabia

Objective

This study was conducted to assess the problems related to stress encountered by Saudi dental students.

Methods

One thousand and thirty questionnaires were distributed in four dental schools to all students from 2nd year level up to the internship level. The questionnaire contained 66 items organized into four categories: personal and administrative, theoretical, preclinical and clinical. The relationship between the demographic variables and students’ academic performance with the investigated items was also assessed.

Results

The response rate was 53%. Saudi dental students showed high levels of perceived stress. The clinical training issues imposed the highest level of stress on the students. Some significant relationships between the investigated variables and the level of the perceived stress were found.

Conclusions

Female students had higher mean overall problem scores compared to male students, and second-year students showed lower perceived problems compared to other students.     

Perceived sources of stress amongst Indian dental students

Introduction:  Dental students have to face the additional stress of their studies in addition to the stresses related to dentistry as a profession. Furthermore, increasing stress may result in declining student performance. The aim of the present study was to assess perceived sources of stress amongst dental undergraduate students at a private dental institution in India.
Materials and methods:  A modified dental environment stress (DES) questionnaire which consisted of 38 questions was used to assess the levels of stress.
Results:  The first major stressor for all the students was examination and grades with a mean score of 2.86 (SD 1.06) followed by full working day, receiving criticism from supervisors about academic or clinical work, amount of cheating in dental faculty, rules and regulations of the faculty and fear of unemployment after graduation. Amongst the six highest stressors in each year, at least three were dental faculty related. There was a significant difference in stress perception between genders with a predilection for males. Twelve of the 38 questionnaire items had significant differences across the year groups including clinical DES items.
Conclusion:  The primary sources of stress as perceived by nearly 275 students at one private dental school in India were examinations and grades followed by full working day and receiving criticism from supervisors about academic or clinical work. It appears there is a need for the establishment of student advisors and counsellors combined with a faculty advising system in addition to student-oriented programmes.     

Dental students’ knowledge of ergonomic postural requirements and their application during clinical care

Aim: To examine how much final‐year undergraduate dental students know about postural dental ergonomic requirements, and how well they apply these requirements clinically. Background: Dentists are vulnerable to diverse mechanical (e.g. postural) and non‐mechanical occupational risks. Materials and Methods: Eight postural requirements found in normalising documents were identified, reproduced, photographed, and analysed to develop a test of visual perception (TVP). Photographs of the 69 participating students were taken during their clinical care to ascertain ergonomics compliance, after which the students were administered the TVP. Pearson’s test was used to correlate the level of knowledge (TVP) and its clinical application (photographic analysis) among the 552 observations made for each test (total of 1104 observations). Results: 65.7% of the TVP questions were answered correctly and 35% of the photographic cases were in compliance with ergonomic requirements (+ 0.67, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The knowledge of ergonomics postural requirements and their clinical application among the dental students surveyed were not satisfactory. The reasons for the learning difficulties encountered by the students should be identified to improve the learning process. The didactic use of digital images in this study may help in this endeavour.     

Knowledge and attitude towards smoking among Indian students of dentistry

Active cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer and an important established cause of cardiovascular disease mortality. Risks have been shown to increase with even light or intermittent active smoking. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of smoking, age of initiation and the knowledge and attitude towards smoking among dental college students of Rajasthan, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,383 undergraduate and postgraduate dental college students of Rajasthan using self-administered closed-ended questionnaires consisting of 14 questions divided into four sections. A chi-square test was used to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. Results: Of all the participants, 777 (56.2%) were male and 606 (43.8%) were female. Among these 258 (33.2%) males and 51 (8.4%) females had tried or experimented smoking. Majority of males (24.7%) initiated this habit at a very young age, before 16 years. About 79.5% males and 72.3% females felt that it was difficult to quit smoking. According to 88.1% females and 48.7% males, people feel less comfortable at public places or social gatherings. Conclusion: The study has shown that the smoking prevalence among dental college students is high and has managed to contribute additional information regarding their attitude towards smoking. Comprehensive tobacco education and smoking cessation programmes should be aggressively promoted in dental settings.     

Comparison of attitudes towards dental education among dental students in Japan and China

The aim of this study was to identify and compare the attitudes of dental students towards dental education in Japan and China. Fifty‐four dental students from the Stomatology School of China Medical University and 51 dental students from the Dental Faculty of Kyushu University, Japan, participated in this study. Information was derived from a self‐answered questionnaire consisting of 11 items. Significant differences in the responses of the participants from the two countries were detected for 10 of the questionnaire items (P < 0.05). Nearly three‐quarters of the Japanese students were satisfied with the teaching faculties of their schools, while only a quarter of the Chinese students indicated satisfaction. A total of 69% of Chinese students thought that learning a foreign language wasted too much time compared with none of the Japanese students. A student‐oriented teaching mode was not well accepted by either of the groups, and 62% of Chinese students and 53% of Japanese students wanted to increase the duration of the clinical practice stage of education. The findings from this study enhance our understanding of differences and/or similarities among dental students in the two nations. This information may help to define strategies to improve the quality of dental education, and especially exchange programmes of international students.     

Work stress and burnout among dental hygienists

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the factors associated with work stress and burnout among dental hygienists. Furthermore, how to deal with work stressors in order to prevent burnout in the dental hygienist work environment will be discussed. Methods: From a small literature search, only a few empirical studies could be traced that describe work stress or burnout among dental hygienists. Results: Burnout incidence among dental hygienists appears to be relatively favourable, when compared with other professions, according to a 20‐year‐old study. On the contrary, in a recent study, it was described that one out of eight dental hygienists felt emotionally exhausted from work. Dental hygienists, when compared with other professionals, are relatively negative about the variety of tasks they find in their work. Factors associated with experienced work stress are, according to another study, musculoskeletal pain, combining work and private life, highly efficient organization of work, long working hours, working without assistant, difficult or demanding patients, lack of leisure time, lack of support by practice management and doubts about one's own capabilities. Some factors that may prevent burnout are: recognition of one's own work pressure, learning to unwind, time management and organization of work, realistic career expectancies, social skills, healthy life‐style, peer‐group contacts and pre‐graduate reflection. Conclusions: There appears to be a lack of recent data on burnout among dental hygienists. Although some knowledge exists on work stressors, a thorough investigation on burnout incidence, risk factors, as well as job resources is needed.     

BURNOUT SYNDROME AMONG DENTISTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

ObjectiveBurnout syndrome has negative consequences on the dentist's health and performance during work. This systematic review aimed to assess the prevalence of Burnout syndrome in dentists.MethodsSearches were carried out in Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, EMBASE, LILACS databases, and searches in the gray literature on January 27, 2021. There were no restrictions on language and search period. For the diagnosis of Burnout, only studies that used the Maslach burnout inventory questionnaire and its subscales emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and reduced personal accomplishment (PA) were included. Proportion meta-analyses were performed using the Stata 13.0 software.ResultsA total of 37 articles were included in the narrative and 31 in quantitative syntheses. The overall prevalence of Burnout syndrome in dentists was 13% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.006-0.21; I²: 97.07%) and the total prevalence in the subscales EE, DP, and PA, were, respectively: 28% (95% CI: 0.24-0.32; I²: 20.70%), 18% (95% CI: 0.08-0.28; I²: 85.61%) and 10% (95% CI: 0.08-0.13; I²: 0%). About the levels of Burnout syndrome in the subscales, 25% (95% CI: 0.19-0.31; I² 92.58%) presented high EE, 18% (95% CI: 0.10-0.26; I² 96.62%) high DP and 32% (95% 0.20-0.45; I² 97.86%) low PA. About continuous data, the mean of EE, DP and PA was respectively 17.90 (95% CI: 9.36-26.43; I² 94.8), 6.93 (95% CI: 3.41-10.45; I² 80.2) and, 34.69 (95% CI: 23.82-45.55; I² 98.8). No study presented all the positive criteria of the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal checklist.ConclusionIn conclusion, there was a considerable prevalence of burnout syndrome in dentists, mainly in the subscale of emotional exhaustion.     

A model of psychosocial work environment, stress, and satisfaction among dental students in sweden

Dental students are often described as stressed. The stress has, among other things, been connected to stressors in their psychosocial environment and inconsistent feedback. The hypothesis of this study was that the psychosocial work environment in dental schools leads to stress and affects the satisfaction of dental students and that tolerance for ambiguity shields students from stress. A web-based survey was sent to the entire Swedish dental student population in clinical training (N=805); the response rate was 40 percent. Structural equation modeling used in the analyses contains four main constructs: psychosocial work environment, tolerance for ambiguity, perceived stress, and student satisfaction (χ(2)=267.437, d.f.=174, p<0.001, Normed χ(2)=1.537, RMSEA= 0.041, CFI=0.98). Psychosocial work environment influenced both perceived stress and satisfaction: it accounted for almost all of the explained variance in perceived stress for women, while about half of the variance for the men was explained by tolerance for ambiguity. This study concluded that about 40 percent of the total perceived stress of these female dental students was related to their psychosocial work environment. Tolerance for ambiguity shielded men but not women from stress. An improved psychosocial work environment in dental schools would decrease the stress of both male and female dental students.     

Burnout,depression and suicidal ideation in dental students

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence, gender influence, and relationships between burnout, depression and suicidal ideation within the last year among second, fourth and fifth-year dental students. Study Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 212 dental students enrolled in the second, fourth and fifth years at the School of Dentistry of Seville using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey and the MBI-Human Services Survey, the “Patient Health Questionnaire-2”, and the “Questions about Suicidal Ideation and Attempted Suicide”. Results: The response rate among dental students was 80%. Burnout prevalence in dental students was higher in second and fourth years than in fifth year (p= 0.059 and p= 0.003, respectively). Depression prevalence in the fourth year approached significance (p= 0.051). Prevalence of suicidal ideation within the past year was higher, yet not reaching significance, in fourth year. No gender-related differences were found. A significant association was observed between burnout and depression, and between depression and suicidal ideation (p< 0.001), but no association was found between burnout and suicidal ideation. Conclusions: This study has brought our attention to the high prevalence of burnout and depression, and reported for the first time the prevalence of suicidal ideation among dental students in preclinical and clinical years. Key words:Burnout, depression, suicidal ideation, dental students.