The aim of this study was to investigate the perceived sources of stress and the role of parents in its etiology among dental students in a private dental school in India. A self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ), prepared by WHO, for measuring stress level, was administered to 256 dental students. The main sources of stress were found to be fear of facing parents after failure, full loaded day, and fear of failing course or year. Students whose first choice of admission was dentistry experienced less stress than students whose first choice was another field. Also the students who joined dentistry due to parental pressure showed a greater stress than those who joined of their own accord. Male students experienced greater stress than females. The results of this study indicate that a congenial environment needs to be created for dental education and parents also need to be counseled against forcing their children to join an educational program that is not of their choice.