Approximately 1 in 4 dental students globally have reported experiencing burnout, including emotional exhaustion and cynicism, according to a systematic review recently published in BMC Medical Education.
The study highlights students’ substantial psychological distress and shows the need for preventive strategies, the authors wrote.
“Given the wide range of adverse consequences associated with burnout, addressing it at an early stage will be critical for supporting the well-being and professional development of future dental practitioners,” wrote the authors, led by Lin-Lin Bu of the Wuhan University School and Hospital of Stomatology in China (BMC Med Educ, February 24, 2026).
Burnout has been linked to devastating strains on mental health and educational outcomes. Therefore, a systematic review was completed to explore the prevalence of burnout among dental students. A comprehensive search performed between 2000 and August 2025 resulted in 27 studies that met the study's inclusion criteria.
Among dental students, the overall prevalence of burnout was 26.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.169 to 0.360, p < 0.1, I2 = 98.2%), the authors wrote.
For studies that used the MBI-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), the pooled mean scores for emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment were 24.693 (95% CIs 21.723 to 27.663, p < 0.1, I2 = 97.7%), 7.135 (95% CI: 5.969 to 8.301, p < 0.1, I2 = 96.4%), and 31.949 (95% CI: 30.661 to 33.238, p < 0.1, I2 = 93.1%), respectively.
For studies using the MBI-Student Survey, the pooled mean score for emotional exhaustion was 16.210 (95% CI: 13.481 to 18.939, p < 0.1, I2 = 99.5%). It was 9.600 (95% CI: 5.662 to 13.539, p < 0.1, I2 = 99.8%) for cynicism and 16.740 (95% CI: 10.671 to 22.809, p < 0.1, I2 = 94.1%) for professional efficacy, they wrote.
However, the authors noted that many of the studies had limitations related to the identification and control of confounders. Some studies had a high risk of bias, which can diminish the strength of the evidence about linked factors, they wrote.
“Collectively, these findings suggest that burnout represents a significant and widespread concern within dental education globally,” Bu and colleagues wrote.
