Investigation of musculoskeletal disorders prevalence and the correlation of Visual Analog Scale with McGill Pain Questionnaire in dental students of Tehran universities

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most common occupational complaints among dentists. Accurate assessment of the pain caused by these disorders is of paramount importance in its better control. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and evaluate the correlation of the Visual Analogue Scale with the different dimensions of the McGill Pain Questionnaire in dental students in the city of Tehran.

In this cross-sectional descriptive-correlation study conducted among 120 dental students in Tehran in 2020-2021, data related to musculoskeletal disorders were collected through the Nordic questionnaire. Pain assessment was also performed using the Visual Analogue Scale and McGill Pain Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 and statistical tests, including chi-square, Spearman, and Pearson correlation, to examine the relationship between the two measures.

In this study, the highest prevalence of disorders was observed in the neck region (42.5%), upper back (35%), and lower back (31.7%). Neck pain and discomfort, in the last 12 months, caused a reduction in work activity more than any other region among the participants. Significant correlations were found between the Visual Pain Scale and the Sensory (r=0.543, p=0.011), Affective (r=0.549, p=0.020), and Evaluative (r=0.538, p=0.035) dimensions of the McGill Pain Questionnaire.

The present study indicates that work-related musculoskeletal disorders are common in dental students. There is a high correlation between the Visual Pain Scale and the McGill Pain Questionnaire in assessing pain intensity.