Dental students’ attitude towards propranolol non‐medical use: A multi‐institutional cross‐sectional study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Introduction The lives of college students are full of various stressors. Students seek a number of stress‐relieving modalities as self‐prescribed beta‐blockers to improve their academic performance. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of beta‐blockers (propranolol) usage amongst Saudi dental students and their attitude towards its use to enhance academic performance. Methods A cross‐sectional study involving a convenient sample was conducted on a group of undergraduate dental students enrolled in Riyadh dental schools during the academic year of 2019/2020. A paper format closed‐ended questionnaire was used. Results A sample of 680 students participated in the survey (43% response rate). Approximately 12% of dental students used propranolol for non‐medical reasons. The prevalence did not differ significantly with the gender or year of study. A significantly higher percentage of students from private dental schools reported using propranolol for non‐medical reasons (odds ratio (OR), 3.1; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.7–5.4; p