Does stress in a dental hygiene and dental therapy undergraduate programme contribute to a sense of well-being in the students?

Aims - To use a qualitative approach to further explore the stress and well-being of dental hygiene and dental therapy students (DHDTS) during their undergraduate training.

Subjects and Methods - Semi-structured individual interviews to explore motivation, goals, and perceived stress, were conducted with eight DHDTS from across all three years of study at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (UPDA). Thematic analysis of the data was undertaken using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis.

Results - Three main themes of ‘fulfilment’, ‘the learning environment’, and ‘perception of stress’ were identified. Within these themes, a further twelve sub-themes were identified. Analysis suggested that a strong sense of passion to become a clinician mitigated most, but not all, of the stressful experiences of the DHDTS undergraduate learning environment.

Conclusions - DHDTS’ perceived sources of stress during their undergraduate programme were strongly linked to a sense of meaningfulness.