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

Abstract

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.

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“…Moreover, UG participants expressed significantly higher levels of stress attributed to studying/ work compared to PG and DT groups. This observation aligns with previous research indicating that academic demands induce stress and anxiety [35,36]. Such findings may suggest a perceived lack of control, where dental students experience uncertainty regarding their academic and professional lives, particularly during intense periods of study and clinical training, thereby elevating stress levels [37].…”

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“…The current study showed that 51.6% of students reported having poor sleep quality, which was lower than studies conducted among dental students in Saudi Arabia and Brazil where 72.5% and 65.2% of the students have poor sleep quality ( Elagra et al, 2016 ; Muñoz et al, 2023 ). The findings of the present study were comparable with studies conducted among university students in China (50.2%), Taiwan (54.7%) and Hong Kong (58%) ( Cheng et al, 2012 ; Ji & Wang, 2018 ; Suen, Tam & Hon, 2010 ).…”

“…The percentage was even higher among dental students. This is demonstrated by studies conducted in Saudi Arabia and Brazil which found that 72.5% and 65.2% of the dental students had poor sleep quality respectively ( Elagra et al, 2016 ; Muñoz et al, 2023 ). This could be related to dental specialty which often comprises heavy didactic and clinical contents, causing a lot stress on students and requiring extensive study and long practical sessions ( Elagra et al, 2016 ).…”

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