Posture and Prevention: Evaluating an Exercise Program for Dental Students

Summary

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major public health concern, involving inflammatory and degenerative issues in muscles, tendons, joints, and nerves. Commonly caused by repetitive strain and poor posture, these disorders are highly prevalent among dental professionals due to their physically demanding work environments.

Studies show that 64% to 93% of dentists experience MSDs during their careers, often beginning during dental education. Dental students, exposed to hands-on clinical training from early on, face physical strain without sufficient ergonomic awareness. Poor working posture, prolonged procedures, and static positions increase the risk significantly.

Recent findings at Akdeniz University reveal that 90.8% of fourth- and fifth-year dental interns reported MSD symptoms, especially in the neck, back, and shoulders. Alarmingly, only 21.7% engaged in regular physical activity, although 85.5% were interested in learning preventive exercises.

These results underline the urgent need for early ergonomic education and physical activity. Even with proper posture, over 50% of muscles remain contracted to maintain dental working positions, leading to fatigue and pain. Incorporating structured, posture-oriented stretching and strengthening exercises can help prevent these issues.

Scientific studies confirm that regular stretching improves joint lubrication, circulation, and muscular relaxation, while reducing pain and preventing trigger points. Short sessions during clinical work have been shown to reduce MSD symptoms effectively.

In response, a Posture-Oriented Exercise Program is being developed for Akdeniz University dental students under physiotherapy guidance. Supported by the Özlenen Student Scientific Research Project, this initiative aims to raise awareness, promote musculoskeletal health, and build long-term professional well-being. The program includes practical, supervised exercises and will evaluate outcomes such as posture, pain levels, and ergonomic habits.

This project could serve as a model for integrating physical health education into dental curriculums, improving both student welfare and the sustainability of dental practice.

Conditions

• Postural Instability
• Dentistry
• Musculoskeletal

Interventions

OTHER

Exercise

These sessions of the postural exercise aim to increase student's knowledge and awarenes their benefits for trunk stabilization, posture correction and diaphragmatic breathing will be explained by the expert physiotherapist. In the exercise planning; the exercise session start with warm-up exercises; A transition to the flow of exercise is ensured with warm-ups that include arm, leg and trunk movements for approximately 10 minutes, and then all extremities are worked for approximately 40 minutes in the main exercise session to ensure trunk alignment. The last 10 minutes of the exercise session is completed with approximately 10 minutes of cool-down exercises to which light stretching is added, making the exercise session a total of 60 minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Akdeniz University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Alper Kustarcı, Profesor · Akdeniz University

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

25 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-01-01

Primary Completion

2024-06-01

Completion

2025-04-01

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations