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Problematic smartphone use is associated with poor sleep quality and stress in dental students

In a cross-sectional study of 485 dental students, 54.5% were classified as high-risk smartphone users. High-risk users had significantly shorter sleep onset latency (19.90 vs 24.50 min) and higher frequency of poor subjective sleep quality, sleep disturbance, daytime dysfunction, and elevated stress, anxiety, and depression. Stress scores predicted high-risk smartphone use (OR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.02-1.17), while sleep disturbance was a predictor in domain-specific models but lost significance in the fully adjusted model.

Last updated: Aug 30, 2026•0 RCTs•📖 Read as article →

Evidence Score

Evidence Score34/100
Human RCT☆☆☆☆☆
Meta-analysis☆☆☆☆☆
Mechanism★★★★★
Safety★★★★☆
Confidencelow

Study Evidence

Study 1. Are Smartphones Associated With Stress and Poor Sleep Quality? The Perspective of Dental Students.

observational

Şanlıdağ A, Aydın T, Uzel MC, Navruz ÇY · European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe (2026)

Participants: N/A
Duration: Cross-sectional (2024-2025 academic year)
Intervention: None (observational study)
Outcome: Sleep quality (PSQI), sleep onset latency, sleep disturbance, daytime dysfunction, stress, anxiety, depression
Effect Size: OR=1.09 for stress; OR=1.05 for sleep disturbance
Population: Dental students from all academic years at Atatürk University (mean age 22.31 ± 1.77, 63.1% female)

Result:

PubMed: 42666035DOI: 10.1111/eje.70293

Mechanism Graph

High-risk smartphone use is associated with increased stress levels
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Stress may disrupt sleep architecture, leading to sleep disturbances
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Sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction are more frequent in high-risk users
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Result: Poor sleep quality and stress are linked to problematic smartphone use

Limitations

  • ⚠Cross-sectional design prevents causal inference
  • ⚠Self-reported measures may be subject to recall bias
  • ⚠Findings may not generalize beyond dental students
  • ⚠Fully adjusted model showed sleep disturbance lost significance, suggesting complex interactions

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of dental students were high-risk smartphone users?▼

54.5% of the 485 dental students were classified as high-risk users based on gender-specific SAS-SV cut-offs.

Did high-risk smartphone users have worse sleep quality?▼

Yes, they had significantly shorter sleep onset latency and more frequent poor subjective sleep quality, sleep disturbance, and daytime dysfunction.

Which psychosocial factors were associated with high-risk smartphone use?▼

Elevated stress, anxiety, and depression were more frequent among high-risk users, but only stress was a significant predictor in the psychosocial model.

Is the association between smartphone use and sleep problems causal?▼

No, this was a cross-sectional study, so causality cannot be established.

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References

  1. 1.Şanlıdağ A, Aydın T, Uzel MC, Navruz ÇY. "Are Smartphones Associated With Stress and Poor Sleep Quality? The Perspective of Dental Students.." European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe, 2026. PMID: 42666035 DOI: 10.1111/eje.70293
Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Evidence scores reflect the quality and quantity of available research, not clinical recommendations. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement or intervention.