The effectiveness of therapeutic exercises and general care by educational booklet on reduction of neck pain

Introduction: Dentistry is ranked among those occupations that make an individual very prone to variety of musculoskeletal disorders specially neck pain. There is not a certain conclusion about the effectiveness of educational intervention, compared to other interventions, on reduction of symptoms of neck pain among dentists. The aim of this study is the evaluation of the effectiveness of therapeutic exercises and general care provided through educational booklet on reduction of neck pain. Material and method: It was an experimental, prospective study. 30 dentists with neck pain (23 men and 7 women) were recruited to this study. The main studied parameters were pain and disability of the neck evaluated by NPDS questionnaire. Research data were obtained at three points of time: before and after educational intervention and 6 weeks after completion of intervention. Result: The analysis of data indicated that the education through booklet reduced the pain and disability 4 weeks after starting intervention (P<0/001). Neck pain and disability reduced by 6 weeks after completion of study (P<0/001). Conclusion: The results of study showed that a four-week education through educational booklet is effective on reduction of neck pain and disability.   Key words:  Educational Booklet, Therapeutic Exercise, Neck Pain, Dentist.