Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess alcohol use in male and female dental students and to compare this between 6 European dental schools. Method: The dental schools at Amsterdam, Belfast, Cork, Griefswald, Helsinki and Manchester took part in a multi-centred designed study. All (n=368) undergraduate first year dental students attending these schools were invited to take part. They were asked to complete the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Dental Environment Stress Questionnaire (DES) and a questionnaire to assess demography and alcohol use. Results: 83 percent of students participated. The results showed that 71% of students used alcohol on a regular basis. The mean of number of units of alcohol drunk/week was 10.74 (±12.67). 11% of women and 13% of men drank more than the recommended units of alcohol/week [<14 units/week for women: <21 units/week for men]. Significantly greater proportions of students living in university halls (16.5%) compared with those living at home (9.2%) or in their own accommodation (5.3%) drank over the recommended limit (÷2= 7.79, df1, p=0.02) and significant differences were shown between the 6 schools with regard to excessive drinking (÷2= 19.75, df5, p<0.001). Controlling for psychological distress (GHQ12) a logistic regression analysis showed that place of residence was the only significant predictor of excessive alcohol use in these dental students (p=0.01). Conclusions: The results of the initial first wave of this European longitudinal survey suggest the possible protective effect of students residing at home or living in their own accommodation with regard to excessive drinking.

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