COVID-19 vaccination and psychological status of Iranian dental students

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association of COVID-19 vaccination with the quality and quantity of sleep, the level of stress, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders (TMDs) in Iranian dental students.

In this cross-sectional research, we applied a questionnaire including 30 questions on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), sleep quality and quantity, Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD), and vaccination status. All vaccinated students of the dental schools located in the city of Tehran were invited to participate in the study. Participants were divided into three groups: those vaccinated for less than a month, those vaccinated for 1-3 months, and those vaccinated for more than 3 months. A paired t-test served for statistical analysis.

Overall, 171 out of 235 students (72.77%) completed the questionnaire, among which 90 individuals were fully vaccinated, and were included in the data analysis. Stress levels decreased (mean difference = -1.23, p-value = 0.002) and sleep quality and quantity improved mostly 1-3 months after the vaccination (mean difference = -0.5, p-value = 0.016). However, TMD symptoms were mostly alleviated in people vaccinated for more than 3 months (mean difference = -2.86, p-value <0.05). In this respect, no significant difference was observed between the two genders.

According to the results of the study, vaccination was associated with the improvement of psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is recommended that further longitudinal studies be conducted on larger sample sizes and different age groups by using various data collection methods (especially regarding the assessment of TMD).