Impact of Sleep Quality on Oral Surgical Complications in Dental Interns

Many dentistry students suffer from intense stress, insomnia, and anxiety throughout their education, especially when they start clinical practice. This study aims to evaluate the effects of sleep quality on complication rates among 5th-grade dentistry students undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery internships.

This cross-sectional observational study evaluated the association between sleep quality, anxiety levels, and clinical complication rates among senior dental interns during an oral and maxillofacial surgery internship. Sleep quality and anxiety were assessed using the Richard-Campbell Sleep Quality Scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory over a 4-week period. Clinical performance was evaluated by recording the number and types of complications occurring during routine tooth extractions. Generalized linear mixed modelling (GLMM) with Poisson distribution and log link function was used to evaluate complication incidence rates while accounting for repeated observations within students. Pearson correlation, independent samples t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test were additionally used for statistical analysis.

Ninety-two dental interns (61 female, 31 male) performed a total of 1320 tooth extractions during the study period, with 211 recorded complications. Generalized linear mixed modelling demonstrated that sleep quality was significantly associated with complication incidence rates (IRR = 0.997, p = 0.023). Anxiety scores were negatively correlated with sleep quality (r = -0.316, p = 0.002) but were not independently associated with complication incidence rates. No significant differences in sleep quality, anxiety scores, or complication rates were observed between genders.

Poor sleep quality was associated with higher clinical complication rates among dental interns during OMFS training. Anxiety levels were negatively correlated with sleep quality but did not independently predict complication rates. Due to the cross-sectional design and the presence of multiple uncontrolled clinical factors, these findings should be interpreted cautiously.