Nomophobia: a cross-sectional study to assess mobile phone usage among al azhar dental students, Kerala

Introduction-Mobile phone is considered as an important communication tool and became the integral part of the society, it is not only a communication device but it also a necessary social accessory. This study investigates the current knowledge about technology and learning methods using the internet among dental students. Smart phones have now become an essential part of life. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 students from Clinical and Preclinical stream having smartphones were surveyed regarding the usage of smartphone. A well-structured and administered questionnaire was used to elicit the responses. The study was conducted during March 2018 to April 2018. Statistical analysis was done using t –test. Significance level was kept at 5%. Results: Nomophobic levels were observed among 35.34 % of participants and the risk of nomophobia were more in males (55.27%) as compared to females (39.69%). Majority of students felt uncomfortable without their smart phone, got irritated by frequent notifications of smart phone and got angry when someone interrupts them while using smart phone. Conclusion: Smartphones make students lives more sedentary, dry eyes and headache, feel disturbances in their sleep. Also, they spend excess money on mobile recharges although they prefer to use internet over their own creativity for any project.