Insights into self-evaluated stress, anxiety, and depression among dental students

Stress, anxiety, and depression have a negative impact on students’ learning and academic performances. In our longitudinal study conducted on dental students from Cluj-Napoca and Oradea, the most representative university centers in north-west of Romania, we evaluated the prevalence and effect of exams on stress, anxiety, and depression, in association with socio-demographic factors. The students self-administered the DASS-21R questionnaire at the beginning of the academic year 2022–2023, before the Christmas holiday, during the winter session, and after the winter session. Students from Cluj-Napoca had higher stress scores at the beginning of the academic year compared to those from Oradea (6.8% vs. 3.7%, P-value