Efficacy of Eight weeks of Exercise Therapy for Neck Pain among General Dentists

Background and Aim: The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints is high among dentists however, only a few studies have focused on this topic. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of an exercise program for neck pain relief in dentists practicing in Tehran. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was administered among 46 dentists in Tehran matched by age, gender (all males) and neck pain complaints in the past six months. Sub-jects were randomly divided into two groups. The first group received exercise therapy while the second group was given no exercise. Pain was measured at two months after the intervention using the visual analog scale (VAS). Data were analyzed using t-test and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The t-test showed significant improvement of neck pain in the first group after the intervention (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that exercise therapy could be effective for treatment of neck pain. Therefore, regular exercise by dentists can prevent neck pain and other muscu-loskeletal disorders (MSDs).