Evaluation of Stress Factors Experienced by Students in the Pedodontics Clinic: Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Dental students are exposed to multiple stressors during their education, including intensive examinations and demanding clinical training. Working in pediatric dentistry clinics may create additional stress due to direct patient interaction, procedural difficulties, time pressure. However, studies evaluating stress levels and related factors among dental students engaged in pediatric dentistry clinics are limited. This study aimed to assess stress levels among dental students working in pediatric dentistry clinics and to identify contributing factors. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between January 1-March 1, 2024, and included 243 fourth- and fifth-year dental students at Istanbul University Faculty of Dentistry. Stress levels were measured using the Pedodontics Practice Stress Scale (PPSS), a 29-item instrument scored on a 0-3 Likert scale. Students with total scores ≥71 were classified as stressed. Subscales of clinical practice, patient communication, academic workload, and social interaction were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22, with p0.05). Overall, 90.1% of students were classified as stressed, with the highest scores observed in the clinical practice and patient communication subscales. Conclusion: Pediatric dentistry clinics constitute a highly stressful environment for dental students, mainly due to clinical and patient-related factors. Educational programs, supervised clinical training, and stress management interventions may improve students' academic performance and well-being.