The Role of Yoga in Treating Stress-Related Symptoms in Dental Hygiene Students

CONTEXT: Research has provided evidence for yoga's effectiveness in the prevention and treatment of pain and stress, both of which have been implicated as significant negative moderators of student performance and experience. AIMS: This study investigated the feasibility and preliminary impact of a 10-week yoga intervention with dental hygiene students to reduce perceptions of stress and stress-related symptoms. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Students self-selected into a yoga treatment versus control condition. They completed stress and pain measures at four time points during and after the intervention or control period of 10-weeks. METHODS: Participants were students enrolled in a dental hygiene program. All 77 participants completed a 10-week study, self-selecting into an intervention or control group. They completed three self-report questionnaires assessing pain and stress, administered at baseline, mid-point, postintervention, and two follow-ups. The 10-week yoga intervention consisted of 10 90-min yoga sessions that provided check-ins, breathing exercises, sequences of postures, relaxation exercises, and closing meditations. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Independent samples t-tests were used to compare perceived stress levels of participants in the control versus treatment groups. Paired t-test was used to assess differences in stress-related symptom levels across time. RESULTS: Results suggested that a yoga intervention is feasible for this group and that active yoga practice can lower perceived stress across multiple domains and across time. CONCLUSIONS: A specially adapted and designed 10-week yoga protocol appears to be an accessible option for dental hygiene programs that seek to support their students in improving overall wellbeing.