Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39014900›Full record

ArticleAustralian dental journal2024

The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of dental students at an Australian school.

S Akhtar, J Tissainayagam, J Lo, A Siddiqi, S Zafar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Australian dental journal, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

S AkhtarSchool of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
J TissainayagamSchool of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
J LoSchool of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
A SiddiqiDepartment of Periodontics and Implantology, Griffith University, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5528-9153
S ZafarSchool of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5551-8147

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsThe dentistry program is extremely demanding mentally and physically. Consequently, it can induce high levels of stress, anxiety and depression in students. There is some research in measuring these ramifications on dental students, but they lack the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic which has brought about many fundamental changes to the curriculum of dental students. The aim of this study was to assess dental students' mental health through the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) during the COVID-19 pandemic in an Australian dental School.

methodsThe Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours) students enrolled in years 2-5 were requested to complete an online questionnaire that included the DASS-21 and additional questions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on quality of life. Jamovi was utilized to conduct descriptive data analysis.

results179 students completed the survey with 81 males (45%) and 98 females (55%). 70.4% of the participants described elevated anxiety for the health of their loved ones and themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall mean DASS-21 scores were 7.1 (5.07) in depression, 4.9 (4.00) in anxiety and 6.5 (4.32) in stress.

conclusionsThe results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the mental health of dental students. While further research is still required, it is important for universities to recognize how this pandemic affected the mental wellbeing of students so that they can implement appropriate support programs and improve dental education. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on social and mental health worldwide, and dental students are notably affected. Recognized as a psychological risk factor, COVID-19 has been linked to an increased rate of suicidal deaths. This paper underlines the importance of recognizing the full scope of the pandemic's impact on dental students, including their views and the potential effects on their physical and mental health. The study indicates a pressing need for more robust support from the organizations to improve the mental health and overall well-being of dental students.

Indexed as

AnxietyCOVID-19Mental HealthStress, PsychologicalStudents, DentalAdultAustraliaDepressionFemaleHumansMaleQuality of LifeSARS-CoV-2Schools, DentalSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultanxietyCOVID‐19dentistrydepressionstress

Identifiers

PMID39014900
PMCPMC11845838

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.