Association Between Stress and Parafunctional Habits Among Undergraduate Healthcare Students of Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: Stress is a feeling of mental pressure and tension which leads to parafunctional habits increasing the risk ofdeveloping temporomandibular disorders. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between parafunctionalhabits as well as stress in undergraduate medical and dental students.Study Design And Setting: This cross-sectional study was carried out from April 01, 2020, to October 31, 2021, amongstthe students of different medical and dental colleges, both in the private and public sectors in Punjab, Sindh, and the Federalareas in Pakistan.Methodology: The study comprised 466 students between 18 to 25 years. A self-compiled and validated questionnaire wasshared with students belonging to various years of different medical and dental colleges. Response from all the forms wasanalyzed using SPSS Version 20 and the relationship between stress and parafunctional habits was assessed.Results: Results indicated that the stress of studies was the most common stress among students (75.1%, n = 350) whilethe most common parafunctional habit was lip biting (30%, n = 140). The association between different types of stressesand parafunctional habits was seen to be significantly related to one another.Conclusion: A significant relationship between parafunctional habits and stress was seen in undergraduate medical anddental students.