Sevilay YEĞİNOĞLU, Gülden EREŞ
Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine - 2026;9(3):708-713
Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of classical music exposure during clinical practice on perceived stress and coronavirus-related anxiety levels among dental students during the transition back to face-to-face education in the COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods: This prospective single-group clinical study with repeated measures included 46 systemically healthy dental students. Data were collected through face-to-face questionnaires at four different time points: baseline (T1), after patient care in the clinic (T2), before listening to music (T3), and after listening to music (T4). The questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic data, the Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14), and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). Data were analyzed using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, as appropriate. Results: Mean PSS-14 scores obtained before listening to music (T1, T2, and T3) were similar, whereas a significant decrease was observed after listening to music (T4). No statistically significant differences were found between T1 and T2 or T3 in terms of PSS-14 and CAS scores. However, PSS-14 and CAS scores at T4 were significantly lower compared with T1, T2, and T3 (p=0.004, p=0.001, p<0.001, p=0.002, p=0.007, and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Listening to classical music during clinical practice was associated with significantly lower perceived stress and coronavirus-related anxiety scores among dental students.
