Core Stability, Dental Students, Hand Grip Strength, Manual Dexterity
Conditions
Keywords
Core Stability, Hand Function, Manual Dexterity, Dental Students, Exercise
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether a core stability exercise program can improve core endurance, hand grip strength, pinch strength, and manual dexterity in dental students. The study will include adult dental students who are enrolled at a university and do not have any musculoskeletal or neurological conditions. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does a 6-week core stability exercise program improve core endurance in dental students? Does the exercise program improve hand grip strength, pinch strength, and manual dexterity compared to usual daily activities? Researchers will compare a core stability exercise group to a control group to determine whether the exercise program is more effective than routine daily activities. Participants will: Be randomly assigned to either an exercise group or a control group Participate in a supervised core stability exercise program three times per week for 6 weeks (exercise group only) Continue their usual daily activities without additional exercise (control group) Undergo assessments of core endurance, hand grip strength, pinch strength, and manual dexterity before and after the intervention period
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCore Stability Exercise Program
A structured and progressive core stability exercise program will be conducted over 6 weeks, with three supervised sessions per week. Each session will last 30-45 minutes and include warm-up, core stabilization exercises, and cool-down. The program consists of three progressive phases: Weeks 1-2 focus on core activation and static exercises on a stable surface (e.g., abdominal draw-in, bridge, plank); Weeks 3-4 include dynamic exercises on a stable surface (e.g., bird-dog, curl-up, superman); Weeks 5-6 involve resistance and unstable surface training (e.g., Swiss ball exercises, rotational movements, resisted exercises). All sessions will be supervised by a physiotherapist. Exercise intensity and progression will be individualized based on participant performance, and safety will be monitored throughout.
Sponsors
Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Outcome assessors and data analysts will be blinded to group allocation. The intervention provider and participants will not be blinded due to the nature of the exercise intervention.
Intervention model description
Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group (core stability exercise program) or the control group (no structured exercise). The study follows a parallel-group design, where both groups are observed concurrently without crossover. The intervention group will receive a supervised 6-week core stability exercise program, while the control group will continue their usual daily activities. Outcome measures will be assessed before and after the intervention period.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Students enrolled in the Faculty of Dentistry at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University * Aged 18 years or older * Right-hand dominant * No diagnosed musculoskeletal, chronic systemic, or neurological disorder * No regular exercise habits * Able to understand and follow study instructions * Able to speak and understand Turkish * Willing to participate voluntarily and provide informed consen
Exclusion criteria
* History of spinal or upper extremity injury or surgery * Presence of disc pathology or cervical spine disorders * Severe pain affecting upper extremity function * Any acute injury occurring during the study period that may affect performance * Inability to complete assessments * Withdrawal from the study for any reason
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Core Endurance | Baseline and after 6 weeks | Core endurance will be assessed using the McGill core endurance test battery, including trunk flexor endurance, trunk extensor endurance, and side bridge tests. The duration (in seconds) that participants can maintain each position will be recorded. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hand Grip Strength | Baseline and after 6 weeks | Hand grip strength will be measured using a hydraulic hand dynamometer. Three measurements will be taken for each participant, and the average value will be used for analysis. |
| Pinch Strength | Baseline and after 6 weeks | Pinch strength will be measured using a pinch meter, including tip-to-tip, lateral (key pinch), and palmar (three-point pinch) grip types. Three measurements will be taken and averaged. |
| Manual Dexterity | Baseline and after 6 weeks | Manual dexterity will be assessed using the Purdue Pegboard Test, including dominant hand, non-dominant hand, both hands, and assembly tasks. Scores will be recorded as the number of items completed within specified time periods. |
Contacts
CONTACTAkın Süzer, PT, PhD
Outcome results
None listed