title: Risk factors for mental disorders develop early in German students of dentistry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated mental risk factors such as symptoms of burnout and sense of coherence in students of dental medicine at the University of Erlangen in the context of a learning type survey. Our aim was to assess the presence of analogies to the results we had previously determined for students of human medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed a total of 163 dentistry students during the first 2.5 years, up to the first state examination. To ensure comparability, the data were collected from all students at the beginning of each semester. Standardized, validated questionnaires on burnout symptoms (Burnout Screening Scales; BOSS-II), sense of coherence (Sense of Coherence Scale; SOC-L9) and learning type according to Kolb were used in the survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of about 90% of the students provided responses to the voluntary survey. The extent and manifest dynamics of the stress levels observed can be characterized as dramatic. Having started out at cognitive and emotional stress levels typical of the normal populace, a massive deterioration of these parameters was observed in the students by the time they were facing their first state examination in the 5th semester. At the same time, their sense of coherence also suffered a pronounced drop-off. No significant learning type-correlated differences were determined in a mean comparison of the measured parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the results obtained, we see a need for preventive course offerings to students of dentistry to reduce the prevalence of mental disorders in this group. We discern additional potential for enhancement of mental health with courses more specifically geared to the different learning styles among the students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy II, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. Electronic address: michael.scholz@fau.de.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy II, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. Electronic address: carolin-neumann@web.de.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.affiliation: Hospital Meissenberg, Psychiatric and Psychotherapeutical Specialist Hospital for Women, Zug, Switzerland. Electronic address: axel.ropohl@meissenberg.ch.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ropohl
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy II, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. Electronic address: friedrich.paulsen@fau.de.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paulsen
authors.affiliation: Hospital Meissenberg, Psychiatric and Psychotherapeutical Specialist Hospital for Women, Zug, Switzerland. Electronic address: pascal.burger@meissenberg.ch.
authors.forename: P H M
authors.initials: PHM
authors.lastname: Burger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Burnout; Dentistry students; Learning types; Sense of coherence