ABSTRACT

Aim: To identify the presence of Medical Student Syndrome in dental students of Lahore compared to non-dental students

Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore (Aug 2019 to Nov 2020). A structured questionnaire was adopted, modified and distributed amongst university going dental and non-dental students of various universities in Lahore. The sample selection was done using the cluster and consecutive sampling technique.

Results: When asked about worrying too much about being seriously ill, 158(56.8%) of the respondents agreed with the statement. Similarly, when asked about being aware of the sensations occurring in the body, 211(75.8%) participants stated that they were aware of the sensations and critically analyzed them. Amongst the students, 149(53.6%) agreed with the statement that they frequently checked their bodies for signs and symptoms of disease only 62(22.3%) disagreed with the statement and the rest were neutral.

Conclusion: To conclude, the Medical Student Syndrome as a separate entity amongst dental students cannot be established as a mental health issue based on the results of this study. However, the presence of hypochondriac behavior amongst the students’ needs to be further evaluated in Lahore.

Keywords: Non-dental students, Dental Students, Medical Student Syndrome, Mental Health