Exercise-Based Interventions for the Prevention and Management of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Dental Professionals: A Narrative Review

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are highly prevalent among dentists due to prolonged static postures, repetitive fine motor tasks, and sustained biomechanical strain during clinical work. The neck, shoulders, back, and upper extremities are the most commonly affected regions, and these conditions may impair physical function, work performance, and quality of life. This narrative review aimed to summarize current evidence on exercise-based interventions for the prevention and management of WMSDs in dental professionals. A PubMed-based literature search was conducted on 21 April 2026 using terms related to dental professionals, musculoskeletal disorders, and exercise- or rehabilitation-based interventions. After limiting the search to the previous 10 years and accessible full-text articles, titles, abstracts, and selected full texts were screened for relevance. Six studies were included in the core synthesis, and additional review-level and observational evidence was used to contextualize the findings. The included evidence covered stretching, resistance training, supervised and telerehabilitation-based multimodal exercise, physiotherapy-based ergonomic and postural correction, and multifaceted ergonomic programs with an exercise component. Stretching was associated with immediate improvement in pain-related parameters, whereas resistance training reduced pain and improved trunk strength. Supervised multimodal exercise showed the strongest therapeutic support, particularly in dentists with chronic neck pain. Physiotherapy-based and multifaceted ergonomic interventions also yielded favorable results, although their multimodal design makes it difficult to isolate the independent contribution of exercise. Overall, exercise-based strategies appear promising for the management of WMSDs in dental professionals, whereas evidence for primary prevention remains limited and indirect. Larger, better-designed studies are needed to clarify the independent and comparative effects of these interventions.