Understanding the Quality of Life and Its Related Factors in Orthodontics Postgraduate Students: A Mixed Methods Approach

This study analyzed the academic, sociodemographic, and labor conditions related to the quality of life (QOL) of orthodontics postgraduate students in Colombia. A mixed study (explanatory sequential design) was conducted. An online cross-sectional survey (n = 84; 64.3% females) was carried out with sociodemographic, academic, social support, health, labor, and QOL (WHOQOL-BREF) variables. Descriptive, bivariate analyses, and multivariate linear regression were performed. Focus groups (FGs) delved into aspects of relevance regarding QOL and determinants, through qualitative content analysis and triangulation of information. The median score in the four WHOQOL-BREF dimensions surpasses 50 points, with the highest score being in the psychological dimension (62.5 ± 16.7). According to the multivariate linear regression models, the variables significantly associated with QOL scores were playing sports, being married/living together, normal BMI, low social support, and medium/low socioeconomic status. The qualitative results explained the determinants of QOL in the personal, academic, and social dimensions of the participants. The discourses showed that the postgraduate course represents a resignification of their life, where their QOL is affected by the difficulties of their academic development, by the difficulty of reconciling the personal academic load with their affective, work, and social life, and by the stress they experience in their staff process. In conclusion, the participants' QOL was moderate and affected by different factors. The findings highlighted the importance of mental health promotion and well-being strategies in students of orthodontic postgraduate training programs in Colombia for improving QOL.

Poor Quality of Sleep is Associated with Lower Academic Performance in Undergraduate Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose

This study aimed to assess the quality of sleep and associated factors among dental students.

Methods

All dental students regularly enrolled at the Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil, were invited to participate. A structured online questionnaire was applied to collect the independent variables, including academic performance. Quality of sleep was assessed by the validated version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Sample was dichotomized as good sleep quality (total score: ≤ 4) and at least poor quality (total score: ≥ 5). Adjusted analyses were performed using Poisson regression with robust variance to detect the association between sleep quality and independent variables. Independent adjusted models were performed to the whole-sample, only undergraduate and only graduate dental students.

Results

Poor quality of sleep was detected in 266 (65.2%) dental students, of which 228 (68.9%) and 38 (49.4%) were undergraduate and graduate dental students, respectively. Female students presented a prevalence ratio (PR) 19% higher compared to males (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.41). When only graduate students were considering, those that reported not being the head of the family presented a PR 4.39 higher for poor quality of sleep (95% CI 1.91-10.09). Poor quality of sleep was associated with lower academic performance among undergraduate students (PR: 0.94; 95% CI 0.89-0.99), but not significantly associated when graduate students are considered (PR: 0.99; 95% CI 0.96-1.03).

Conclusion

It was concluded that dental students, mainly female ones, have high prevalence of poor quality of sleep, which is associated with undergraduate student's worst academic performance.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41782-022-00223-2.

Prevalence of self-reported symptoms of temporomandibular disorders and associated factors in the period of distance learning

OBJECTIVE

Assess the prevalence of self-reported TMD symptoms and anxiety and check the quality of sleep and life during the distance learning period in university students at the University of Brasilia (UnB).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The participants were students from the Health Sciences College and Medicine College at UnB. Self-administered questionnaires were used to evaluate symptoms of TMD, quality of life, and sleep quality. One-way analysis of variance, followed by Bonferroni test, and Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Dunn's test, were performed (P < 0.05). For qualitative data analysis, the chi-square test was applied (P < 0.05).

RESULTS

Total 156 students were included; prevalence of TMD, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and poor sleep quality was 73.1%, 84%, 12.8%, and 62.8%, respectively. A greater prevalence of painful TMD was observed in students with severe anxiety (P = 0.007). Students with symptoms of painful TMD, severe anxiety, and sleep disorders had statistically worse quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of distance learning in health courses to replace classroom teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted TMD prevalence, anxiety, quality of life, and sleep quality.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Psychological factors are directly associated with TMD symptoms and quality of life, TMD conditions are related to quality of life as well. COVID-19 pandemic and the distance learning in health courses are new situations that can lead to a great impact on mental health and in consequence to TMD conditions and quality of life.

The relationship of dental students’ characteristics to social support, psychosocial factors, lifestyle, and quality of life

Objective

To examine the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics, student academic information, social support, sense of coherence, anxiety, lifestyle, and quality of life among dental students.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study among 233 dental students in Brazil. We captured data on sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, social support through Social Support Appraisal, psychosocial factors (sense of coherence and anxiety based on SOC-13 and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 – anxiety subscale, respectively), lifestyle as per individual Lifestyle Profile and quality of life based on VERAS-Q. Data was analysed through Structural Equation Modelling.

Results:

Greater social support, higher sense of coherence, lower anxiety, better lifestyle directly predicted better quality of life. Male gender, city of origin did not differ from the city of the campus, higher social support and greater sense of coherence were indirectly linked with better quality of life via better lifestyle. Lower academic semester and higher social support indirectly predicted better quality of life via lower anxiety.

Conclusion:

Social support, sense of coherence, anxiety, and lifestyle were relevant factors directly associated with dental student’s quality of life. Indirect pathways were observed between gender, moved home to attend dental course, academic semester, social support, sense of coherence, and quality of life.

Perceived quality of life among oral health therapy and dental students: A cross-cultural comparison

OBJECTIVES

This cross-sectional study examined the perceived quality of life (QOL) of Oral Health Therapy (OHT) students and compared the domain differences between Dental students, gender, and year-of-study.

METHODS

OHT students from a local polytechnic were invited to participate (IRB no. (SHS-2019-001). Perceived QOL was assessed with the multidimensional World Health Organization QOL (WHOQOL)-BREF instrument. Demographic information and WHOQOL-BREF responses were collected electronically. Raw scores were converted to transformed scores and related to data of Dental students from other countries. Statistical analyses were performed with a T-test, one-way ANOVA/posthoc Tukey's test, and Pearson's correlation (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

Of the total cohort of 66 students, 65 consented to participation (98.5% response rate). The study sample (mean age 19.2 ± 2.9 years) comprised of 83.1% females (54/65). Mean domain scores were as follows: Physical health - 54.90 ± 9.78; psychological - 50.98 ± 17.36; social relationships - 60.69 ± 16.47; and environment - 66.80 ± 13.66. The psychological domain was rated the lowest as with most other studies on Dental students. Mean scores for the overall perception of QOL and "satisfaction with health" (SWH) were 3.46 ± 0.83 and 3.35 ± 0.89 respectively. No significant difference in the domain and overall QOL/SWH scores were observed between genders. Psychological and environmental domains scores were significantly different between the first and third-year students (p ≤ 0.02). Correlations coefficients between the QOL domains ranged from r_s  = 0.18-0.66.

CONCLUSION

Aside from the USA and Saudi Arabia, the perceived QOL of Asian OHT students was generally comparable to those of Dental students from other countries. Overall perceived QOL and satisfaction with health were moderately favourable.