Aims: This study attempted to evaluate the perceived stress among Kashmiri dental students and to explore the association of the armed conflict on the perceived stress.

Methods: This cross‐sectional study involved all the dental students of a dental institute in Kashmir. Data was collected using 55 – item pretested modified Dental environmental stress (DES) questionnaire, to assess the sources of stress and its severity. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study and outcome variables. Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallistest was used for statistical analysis.

Results: A total of 115 dental students participated in this study. The highest fraction of the stress was attributed to “Armed – Conflict “and “Professional/ Career” along with “Clinic/ Patient” related stress. In general, females, married and third year students scored significantly higher stress than their counterparts. Regression analysis revealed that the professional year was the most significant independent determinant for most of the DES domains.

Conclusion: The findings of this research indicate that the level of the stress across dental students in Kashmir may be considered moderate to high. Armed – Conflict in the region has further intensified this stress.