Preventing Musculoskeletal Strain in Dental Training: Effects of a Movement-Based Intervention

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are highly prevalent among dental professionals and often begin during clinical training. Preventive strategies within dental education remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of integrating a structured yoga-based programme into postgraduate dental training on musculoskeletal symptoms, perceived stress, and resilience. A randomized controlled pilot study was conducted in which participants were allocated to either an intervention group undertaking a 12-week yoga programme (one session per week) or a control group continuing usual clinical activities. Musculoskeletal symptoms were assessed using the adapted Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) recall measure, while psychological outcomes were assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Over the study period, musculoskeletal symptom scores decreased in the intervention group, whereas they remained relatively stable in the control group. Significant Group × Time interactions were observed for the primary musculoskeletal outcomes. No significant differences were found for work-related impairment, perceived stress, or resilience. These preliminary findings suggest that structured movement-based interventions may represent a potentially feasible preventive approach within dental training environments to address early occupational musculoskeletal strain. Further research with larger samples and longer intervention periods is needed to confirm these findings.