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

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.