Introduction:According to the World Health Organization, more than 300 million people were estimated to suffer from depression in 2017. Many studies have observed that medical personnel have a higher level of depression, but studies among dentists are scarce. Early diagnosis will help in controlling the morbidity and mortality due to depression. Hence, this study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of depression among students of Government Dental College (GDC), Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of the state of Kerala, India.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted at GDC, Thiruvananthapuram, for a period of 3 months from September to December 2017, using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and a pro forma comprising 37 questions. Students having PHQ scores >9 were considered to have depression. The questionnaire was administered on 364 students comprising undergraduate students, paradental students, house surgeons, and postgraduates. Separate sessions were arranged for each group and four reminders were given.Results:The prevalence of depression was estimated as 26.9% (95% confidence interval: 22.4–31.8). Being married, having high and average level of course satisfaction, and having close friends were found to act as independent protective factors, whereas female gender and breakups in relationships were found to be independent risk factors.Conclusion:It is high time we provide supportive programs and implement preventive measures to help professional students, especially those who are at higher risk of mental ill-health. Further studies need to be conducted to explore the academic reasons for depression.
Medical students are considered to be representative of the educated, influential and motivated class of individuals and are considered to have a better perception and realization of maintaining oral health when compared to general population. Hence the present study aims to assess the periodontal health practices and awareness among medical professional students. This cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students and interns of Govt Medical College Thrissur using an online proforma and analysis done using SPSS. A statistically significant association was noted between gender and periodontal health practices and also between periodontal health awareness and year of study and posting category. Interns were 2.56 times more aware of periodontal health than students with a p value ˂ 0.01. Clinical students were 2.4 times more aware of periodontal health than preclinical students with a p value ˂ 0.01. Statistically significant mild positive correlation was observed between age and periodontal health awareness with Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.379 and a mild negative, statistically non-significant correlation was observed between age and periodontal health practice. There is a need to further educate and motivate medical students on oral and periodontal health practice so that it improves the future efforts of medical professionals in contributing to oral health as they are often the first contact for patients.
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