Assessment of Stress among Doctors of Dental Medicine

Uvod: Svako radno mjesto može biti izvor stresa. Jedno od stresnih zanimanja jest i zanimanje doktora dentalne medicine. To pokazuju mnogi čimbenici. Svrha: Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati razinu stresa doktora dentalne medicine u dobi između 25 i 45 godina. Materijal i metode: U ovu presječnu studiju bilo je uključeno 105 doktora dentalne medicine u dobi od 25 do 45 godina iz cijele Bosne i Hercegovine. Istraživanje je provedeno povjerljivom internetskom anketom. Naravno, svi su ispitanici potpisali informirani pristanak. Za istraživanje je odabran mjerni instrument Ljestvica percepcije stresa (Perceived Stress Scale – PSS 10), a za statističku obradu korišteni su paketi IBM Statistics SPSS v. 21 i Microsoft Excel 2010. Korištena je i deskriptivna statistika te postupci inferencijalne statistike X2 test i T-test. Rezultati: Od ukupnog broja ispitanika (n = 105), njih 66 (63 %) bile su žene i prevladavale su u usporedbi s kolegama kojih je bilo 39 (37 %). Prosječna srednja vrijednost skora iznosila je 23 (Mean = 23,080), pa možemo zaključiti da populacija u dobi od 25 do 45 godina koja je sudjelovala u ovom istraživanju pokazuje visoku razinu stresa na temelju odgovora dobivenih na pitanja u upitniku. Zaključak: Procijenjena razina stresa bila je visoka u oba spola, bez statistički značajne razlike između žena i muškaraca.Introduction: The workplace can be a source of stress. One of the most stressful professions is the profession of doctor of dental medicine (dentist). Multiple forms of stressors lead to such occupational stress. Objective: The research objective was to examine stress levels among dentists in the 25 to 45 year age group. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study included 105 doctors of dental medicine throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, aged between 25 and 45 years. The research was conducted by means of a confidential on-line survey. All participants signed the informed consent, and voluntarily filled out the survey form. The research used the PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE-PSS 10. The statistical analysis used the IBM Statistics SPSS v.21 statistics packages and Microsoft Excel 2010. Descriptive statistics, X2 test, and T-test were also used. Results: Of the total number of respondents, n=105, 66 (63%) of them were female and 39 (37%) male respondents. The mean median value of the score was 23 (Mean = 23.080), as a result of which we can conclude that the respondents in the 25-45 year age population group that participated in this study showed a high level of stress based on the completed questionnaire and the answers received from the respondents. Conclusion: The estimated level of stress has been shown to be high in both genders, with no statistically significant difference between genders

Association between stress and self-reported bruxism among students from University of Sarajevo during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Stress among students is a growing problem. As emotional stress increases, the limbic structures and hypothalamus are stimulated, activating the gamma efferent system, which ultimately leads to an increase in muscle tone or additional muscle activity that can become repetitive behaviors such as bruxism. The aim of the study was to investigate the stress level that students are exposed to, to determine the difference between students in terms of gender, faculty, and year of study, and to evaluate the possible relationship between stress level and self-reported bruxism in college students during the pandemic COVID-19. Methods: In April 2022, a cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of students from the Faculty of Dentistry and the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Sarajevo (BiH). The students answered a questionnaire consisting of two parts: The first part contained questions on basic personal data and data on self-reported bruxism and the second part contained questions on the perceived stress scale (PSS). Results: The study included 756 students from both faculties. Analysis of stress levels among students revealed higher stress levels. Female students were more likely to be under stress than male respondents. Students in the Faculty of Pharmacy were more likely to be stressed than students in the Faculty of Dentistry. At the Faculty of Pharmacy, there was no difference in stress levels between the different years of study, while at the Faculty of Dentistry, the individual score for PSS was highest among 1st-year students. A high prevalence (46.8%) of self-reported bruxism was found among students in both faculties. Conclusion: A slight positive correlation between self-reported bruxism and stress suggests that it is important to implement stress management strategies during academic education and to prevent bruxism and its consequences