Work-Related Musculoskeletal Pain and Analgesic Use Among Undergraduate Dental Students in Iraq: A Multi-Institutional Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal pain (WMSP), analgesic use practices, pharmacological knowledge, attitudes toward unsupervised analgesic use, and ergonomic/non-pharmacological behaviors in this cohort. Patients and Methods An online questionnaire was sent to third- to fifth-year Iraqi dental students using WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram platforms. The link was shared three times weekly during March–May 2026. The survey collected sociodemographic data, musculoskeletal pain experience, analgesic use patterns (especially non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol), pharmacological knowledge, attitudes toward unsupervised analgesic use, and ergonomic/non-pharmacological behaviors. Skip logic was applied to direct pain-related and analgesic-use items to eligible participants only. Results Out of 1081 collected responses, 791 dental students reported WMSP (73.2%; 95% CI: 70.5–75.8). A significantly higher prevalence of WMSP was recorded among female students than among male students (75.3% vs 68.7%; p = 0.020), and WMSP prevalence differed significantly across academic years, ranging from 66.3% among 3rd-year to 77.5% among 5th-year respondents (p = 0.001). The most commonly reported affected areas were neck, lower back, and shoulders, with prevalences of 58.4%, 53.9%, and 42.2%, respectively. About half of students with WMSP used analgesics, mainly paracetamol (46.9%) and ibuprofen (33.6%). Analgesic users demonstrated lower knowledge and safer-attitude scores than non-users (both p ≤ 0.002). The multivariable analysis revealed that higher analgesic-related pharmacological knowledge was independently associated with lower odds of analgesic use (OR = 0.828, 95% CI: 0.793–0.864; p < 0.001). Conclusion A high prevalence of WMSP was reported among Iraqi dental undergraduates, with nearly half of affected students reporting analgesic use. Higher analgesic-related pharmacological knowledge was independently associated with lower odds of reported analgesic consumption. A combined approach utilizing ergonomic and pharmacological education may promote better pain-management behaviors and safer analgesic use; however, longitudinal or interventional studies are needed to evaluate its effectiveness.