Effect of Music Practice on Anxiety and Depression of Iranian Dental Students

The practice of dentistry has long been associated with high levels of occupational stress and anxiety and music has been shown as a method of reducing stress. Considering the reportedly high level of stress among dental students and its consequences and also considering the positive effect of music therapy, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between music practice and level of stress in dental students.

In this analytical, cross-sectional study, 88 students, including 44 with a history of music practice and 44 matched controls without music practice who met the defined inclusion criteria, participated. Upon obtaining written informed consent, all volunteers filled the Beck anxiety inventory (BAI) and Beck depression inventory (BDI) questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and multiple linear regression test with backward method was used to evaluate the effect of demographic factors on anxiety and depression scores.

The level of anxiety was higher in students who did not have music practice and this difference was significant (P<0.001). The same was observed for depression (P=0.027). Other factors including age, gender, and being far from family had no significant effect on depression and anxiety (P>0.05). But level of anxiety and depression was higher in students of universities with tuition fee compared to free public institutes (P<0.05).

It may be concluded that music practice can reduce anxiety and depression of dental students.