Abstract:
This research aimed to investigate the truth behind claims of high suicide rates among dental
practitioners by assessing suicidality ratings as well as various prediction factors in students
pursuing a career in the dental profession. To do so, undergraduate students at Ball State
University were issued an email survey containing a 19-item modified version of the Beck Scale
for Suicide Ideation. The suicidality scores of the undergraduate pre-dental students were
compared to the control group, which contains all undergraduate students from other areas of
study. Although support was not found for pre-dental students having a higher suicidality rating
than the general undergraduate population, it was suggested that freshman and sophomore
undergraduates have significantly higher suicidality rates than junior, senior, and senior +
undergraduates.
