NCT07525414

Core Stability and Hand Function in Dental Students

Effects of Core Stability Exercises on Core Endurance, Handgrip Strength, Pinch Grip Strength, and Manual Dexterity in Dental Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 44 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

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

Conditions

• Core Stability
• Hand Grip Strength
• Manual Dexterity
• Dental Students

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Core 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.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-04-01
• Primary completion: 2027-02-01
• Completion: 2027-06-01
• First posted: 2026-04-13
• Last updated: 2026-04-13