Physical Therapy Intervention in Dental Students

Effectiveness of Physical Therapy Intervention in Pre-Clinical Dental Students

The main purpose of our study is to assess whether guided strength training and stretching intervention with a written home exercise program is more effective than a home exercise program alone for pre-clinical dental students in improving and preventing pain associated with dental laboratory practice. Secondary aims will be to assess relationships between strength and quality of life measures of an individual and pain levels.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Quality of Life; Pain; Strength
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Supervised exercise + home exercise program; Procedure: Home exercise program only

Detailed Description

Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain has been identified as a major concern among dental professionals. This can lead to decreased productivity, efficiency and quality of work along with higher costs for the medical system. The body region that is affected the most is the neck, followed by the back and shoulders.

Ergonomic assessments and interventions can identify the areas of concern with workplace set up, however, training the muscles to adapt to abnormal postures may be an effective way of increasing the resilience of the MSK system while decreasing MSK pain as well. Specifically, strength training and stretching has been well researched as a way to prevent and improve pain for neck pain, low back pain and shoulder pain. Physical therapists are well trained in prevention and treatment of injuries, including a wealth of knowledge regarding strength training and stretching for specific regions. The main purpose of our study is to assess whether guided strength

Thus, the main purpose of our study is to assess whether guided strength training and stretching intervention with a written home exercise program is more effective than a home exercise program alone for pre-clinical dental students in improving and preventing pain associated with dental laboratory practice. The secondary aim will be to assess the relationships between strength and quality of life measures of an individual and pain levels.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 16
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arizona
    • Glendale, Arizona, United States, 85308
      • Midwestern University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults ages 18+
• Current 2nd year university dental students

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any type of musculoskeletal surgery in the past 6 months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Supervised exercise + home exercise program; The intervention group (supervised exercise) which will receive supervised strengthening and stretching exercises by a licensed physical therapist in a group setting 2 times per month for 30 minutes each session as well as a home exercise program with general stretching and strengthening exercises for various body parts (focusing on neck, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, shoulder and hand/wrist) that will be identical to the home exercise program only group.	Procedure: Supervised exercise + home exercise program; The supervised exercise + home exercise program group will receive a written home exercise program with general stretching and strengthening exercises for the neck, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, shoulder and hand/wrist. They will also be provided with two supervised exercise sessions per month delivered in a group setting in order to ensure proper performance of the home exercise programs.
Active Comparator: Home exercise program only; The home exercise program only group will be provided with a written home exercise program consisting of general stretching and strengthening exercises for various body parts (focusing on neck, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, shoulder and hand/wrist). The exercise programs will be identical for both the supervised exericse and the home exercise program only groups.	Procedure: Home exercise program only; The home exercise program only group will receive a written home exercise program with general stretching and strengthening exercises for the neck, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, shoulder and hand/wrist, without any supervised guidance on exercise performance.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)	PROMIS® is a publicly available system of highly reliable, precise measures of patient-reported health status for physical, mental, and social well-being. This will be measured via electronic survey.	Baseline
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)	PROMIS® is a publicly available system of highly reliable, precise measures of patient-reported health status for physical, mental, and social well-being. This will be measured via electronic survey.	Intervention conclusion (7 months)
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)	PROMIS® is a publicly available system of highly reliable, precise measures of patient-reported health status for physical, mental, and social well-being. This will be measured via electronic survey.	11 months
Pain Intensity	Visual analog scale (0-10 rating)	Baseline
Pain Intensity	Visual analog scale (0-10 rating)	Intervention conclusion (7 months)
Pain Intensity	Visual analog scale (0-10 rating)	11 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pec Minor Length Test	Supine measurement in centimeters from table	Baseline, intervention conclusion (7 months), and 4 month follow up prior to beginning clinical rotations.
Pec Minor Length Test	Supine measurement in centimeters from table	Intervention conclusion (7 months)
Pec Minor Length Test	Supine measurement in centimeters from table	11 months
Middle Trapezius Manual Muscle Test	Patient prone with arms abducted to 90 degrees and externally rotated, resisting horizontal adduction. Measured in lbs or Newtons using a handheld dynamometer.	Baseline
Middle Trapezius Manual Muscle Test	Patient prone with arms abducted to 90 degrees and externally rotated, resisting horizontal adduction. Measured in lbs or Newtons using a handheld dynamometer.	Intervention conclusion (7 months)
Middle Trapezius Manual Muscle Test	Patient prone with arms abducted to 90 degrees and externally rotated, resisting horizontal adduction. Measured in lbs or Newtons using a handheld dynamometer.	11 months
Lower Trapezius Manual Muscle Test	Patient prone with arms abducted 120 degrees and externally rotated, resisting downward force. Measured in lbs or Newtons using a handheld dynamometer.	Baseline
Lower Trapezius Manual Muscle Test	Patient prone with arms abducted 120 degrees and externally rotated, resisting downward force. Measured in lbs or Newtons using a handheld dynamometer.	Intervention conclusion (7 months)
Lower Trapezius Manual Muscle Test	Patient prone with arms abducted 120 degrees and externally rotated, resisting downward force. Measured in lbs or Newtons using a handheld dynamometer.	11 months
Cervical Flexor Endurance Test	Patient in supine will be asked to tuck the chin and lift their head maintaining the chin tuck. Measured in seconds for as long as they can maintain appropriate quality of movement.	Baseline
Cervical Flexor Endurance Test	Patient in supine will be asked to tuck the chin and lift their head maintaining the chin tuck. Measured in seconds for as long as they can maintain appropriate quality of movement.	Intervention conclusion (7 months)
Cervical Flexor Endurance Test	Patient in supine will be asked to tuck the chin and lift their head maintaining the chin tuck. Measured in seconds for as long as they can maintain appropriate quality of movement.	11 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Joshua Subialka
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Lacey Frankland, DPT, Midwestern University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 12, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): August 12, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 20, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 1, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): May 9, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 30, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 24, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Quality of life; Strength; Supervised exercise; Home exercise program; Dental students
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: AZ-5178

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No