Effects of a Classroom-Integrated Exercise Program on Neck Health and Performance in Dental Students

NCT07867743 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: GRU-HS-AO-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 64
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This non-randomized controlled intervention study aims to evaluate the effects of a six-week structured exercise program integrated into anatomy laboratory sessions on neck pain, neck-related disability, musculoskeletal symptoms, physical performance, and laboratory performance among first- and second-year dental students at Giresun University. Second-year students will constitute the intervention group, while first-year students will serve as controls and continue their routine educational activities. The intervention consists of five-minute exercise sessions performed twice weekly before anatomy laboratory classes for six weeks. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and at the end of the intervention, with additional assessments of neck pain and disability at week three and six.

Conditions

Neck Disability

Keywords

Neck disability; dental students; physical performance

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• neck disability index

  Neck-related disability will be assessed using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), a 10-item self-reported questionnaire. Each item is scored from 0 to 5, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 50. Higher scores indicate greater neck-related disability.

  Baseline, week 3, and week 6

• Change in Cervical and Shoulder Muscle Strength

  Muscle strength will be assessed isometrically using a handheld dynamometer. Cervical flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and shoulder external rotation strength will be measured in the sitting position. Each measurement will be performed three times, with at least 30 seconds of rest between measurements, and the highest value will be recorded. Higher values indicate greater muscle strength.

  Baseline and 6 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Intervention arm: Exercise Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Intervention arm: Second-year dental students will participate in a six-week structured exercise program integrated into anatomy laboratory sessions.

Behavioral: Exercise program

Control arm: Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

First-year dental students will continue their routine anatomy laboratory education without receiving the exercise intervention.

Interventions

Exercise program BEHAVIORAL

The intervention consists of a six-week structured exercise program performed twice weekly before anatomy laboratory sessions. Each session lasts approximately five minutes and includes breathing exercises, cervical mobility exercises, isometric cervical strengthening, postural exercises, and scapular strengthening. The first two weeks are supervised by a researcher, followed by video-guided sessions for the remaining four weeks. No exercise equipment is required.

Intervention arm: Exercise Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Being a first- or second-year dental student at Giresun University.
• Being older than 18 years.
• Providing voluntary informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Diagnosed cervical disc herniation
• Rheumatological disease
• History of neck trauma
• Receiving regular physiotherapy
• Chronic neurological disease

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Giresun University: lead

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Resistance Training

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Exercise Therapy; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Physical Conditioning, Human; Exercise; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 5, 2026
• First Posted: October 9, 2026
• Study Start: October 8, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 27, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 28, 2027
• Last Updated: October 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share