Relationship between work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and burnout symptoms among preclinical and clinical dental students: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

The demanding nature of dental education exposes students to a high risk of burnout symptoms, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Similarly, work-related musculoskeletal symptoms are prevalent among dental students, posing significant occupational health challenges. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and burnout symptoms among preclinical and clinical dental students.

METHODS

A total of 248 dental students participated in this cross-sectional study, and a three-part questionnaire was administered. The first section included sociodemographic and health-related questions. The second section utilized the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, in which participants indicated “yes” or “no” responses regarding the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms in nine specific body regions (neck, shoulders, upper back, elbows, wrists/hands, lower back, hips/thighs, knees, and ankles/feet) over the past 7 days and 12 months. The third section employed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which assesses three dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Participants responded to items on a 7-point Likert scale. Relationships between work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and burnout symptoms were analyzed using generalized linear models and linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 20.73 ± 1.42 years, and 58.9% were female. Statistically significant relationships were found between emotional exhaustion and neck pain experienced in the past 12 months ( = 3.700,  < 0.001), as well as pain-related incapacity in the lower extremities in the past 12 months ( = 2.584,  = 0.002). Depersonalization was significantly associated with lower extremity pain in the past 12 months ( = 1.620,  = 0.001). Additionally, being a clinical dental students was a significant predictor of emotional exhaustion ( = 2.981,  = 0.007). All presented coefficient estimates were adjusted for age, sex, clinical education level, and work-related musculoskeletal symptoms-related variables.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings revealed significant associations between clinical education level, neck and lower extremity pain in the past 12 months, pain-related incapacity, and burnout symptoms among dental students. These results suggest that emotional exhaustion and depersonalization in dental students may be influenced by work-related musculoskeletal symptoms.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-025-08796-5.