Sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, psychological distress and temporomandibular disorder symptoms among dental students: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, psychological distress and temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms among dental students and to investigate their interrelationships.

METHODS

A total of 518 undergraduate dental students completed a structured online questionnaire including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and Fonseca Anamnestic Index (FAI). Multivariable regression and post-hoc analyses were performed alongside bivariate comparisons.

RESULTS

Poor sleep quality was prevalent (70.5%) and female students reported significantly worse outcomes across all parameters. Current smoking was independently associated with poorer sleep quality and greater daytime sleepiness. All variables were positively intercorrelated, with the strongest associations observed among the psychological subscales (r = 0.83-0.87) and the weakest involving TMD symptoms (r = 0.26-0.31).

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the interconnected nature of sleep, psychological distress and TMD symptoms in dental students and support integrating routine screening programs into dental education curricula.