A Comparative Study on Hypochondriasis Among Medical and Dental Students in Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Aims: Health anxiety can be common for health professions students and was elevated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Differences in clinical exposures between dental and medical students can influence post-pandemic hypochondriasis. This study aimed to compare the levels of hypochondriasis among medical and dental students in the post-COVID-19 era. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical (MBBS) and dental (BDS) students at different colleges in Karachi, Pakistan. A questionnaire (S1) was constructed and distributed among students. Hypochondriasis of the participants was evaluated using the Short Health Anxiety Inventory-18 (SHAI-18) scale. Independent t-tests were used to compare the SHAI-18 scores. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A sample of 350 participants was recruited, with 220 (62.9%) MBBS students and 130 (37.1%) BDS students. About 120 (54.4%) MBBS and 75 (57.4%) BDS students considered themselves to be hypochondriacs in the pre-COVID era. In the post-COVID era, 135 (61.3%) MBBS and 85 (65.3%) BDS students were reportedly hypochondriacs. No differences between SHAI-18 scores were found between medical and dental students (p = 0.16). Anxiety levels increased from pre-clinical to clinical years by dental students (p < 0.001) as compared to medical students, who showed no such increase (p = 0.61). Conclusion: Both medical and dental students demonstrated measurable levels of health anxiety in the post-COVID-19 era, with no statistically significant difference in overall SHAI-18 scores between the two groups. Dental students showed significantly higher health anxiety during clinical years compared to pre-clinical years, whereas no such difference was observed among medical students. These findings highlight the need for targeted mental health support, particularly during clinical training.