A fitness course for dental students

A great deal has been written about the hazards of dental practice and the stressful nature of dental school. While efforts are underway to assist practitioners in stress management and general health improvement, little work has been done with dental students. Dental educators should assist students in managing dental school pressures and in preparing for the potential burdens of practice. This paper describes an elective course that is designed to create student awareness of the potential adverse effects of dental school and dental practice, and of methods to avoid and cope with such problems. A detailed course outline and results from one- and two-year course evaluations are included.