Health changes during Covid-19: a nationwide study with dental students

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To assess the changes in stress levels, social behavior, dietary and parafunctional habits, oral hygiene, among other conditions perceived by dental students in Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic and evaluated the correlations between stress level and other variables. METHODS An online questionnaire was developed and validated. Undergraduates enrolled in private and public dental schools were recruited by convenience sampling. Data were collected on the perceived changes regarding stress levels, financial and social characteristics, dietary habits, oral hygiene, health conditions, and parafunctional habits. Quantitative variables were expressed as absolute and relative frequencies. Wilcoxon test evaluated comparisons between perceived changes, and correlations between changes in stress levels and other variables were analyzed by Spearman correlation (α = 0.05). RESULTS A total of 638 dental students, mean age of 22.95 ± 4.10 years, participated in the study. During the pandemic, the reported stress levels increased while household income decreased (p