Drinking Habits Among Undergraduate Dental Students in Helsinki, Finland

Objectives: To study drinking habits of undergraduate dental students as part of a European multi-center study. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was delivered. From 172 students enrolled for 2004-05, 144 replies (84%) were returned. Of the respondents, 40% were 25 years or older and 70% were women. The questions covered frequency and amount of drinking. Gender, age, study year, and living conditions served as background data. Statistical evaluation was done by chi-square statistics. Results: During the last 30 days, 9% of women and 4.7% of men reported no drinking, whereas 84% of female and 74% of male preclinical students reported 1 to 5 occasions during the previous month. During their studies, three-fourths of the women reported a moderate level (1-5 occations) of drinking, whereas the proportion of men reporting heavy use of alcohol (more than five monthly occasions) increased from 17% in the preclinical to 35% in the clinical phase. Respectively, the proportion of those male students reporting over six alcohol units consumed per day increased from 39% to 75%. One quarter of male clinical students assumed they were drinking more than were their fellow students. Of all the students, 52% reported at least one relative with an alcohol problem. Drinking was considered harmful equally (27%) by preclinical male and female students, but at the clinical phase only by 5% of men compared to 45% of women. During the study years male students reported an increasing number of hangovers (70% to 95%). This was not the trend among women (86% to 76%). Because of a hangover 14% of female and 17% of male preclinical students had missed their studies compared to respective 7% and 5% in the clinical phase. Conclusions: Drinking was prevalent, but special attention should be paid to those reporting high consumption.